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Advocating for access to HCV generics feels a bit like being a mole in whack-a-mole. Shortly after we stick our heads up on the Internet more or less anywhere sites get hacked, accounts get closed, comments get deleted.
Globally the story of generics should be getting out there. With HIV generics it did, with HCV generics it’s struggling. Here’s a typical scenario:
This issue is amenable to a quiet citizen led protest but I’m here to tell you that without a concerted effort it’s entirely possible the powers that be will be able to continue to keep generics from the majority, simply by keeping the knowledge of generics from the majority.
Thanks for the graphics James. No one promised this’d be easy Doc. It may just take longer than we thought
We’re still behind you and growing. Matt
Hello dr. Freeman,
the picture describes perfectly the reality
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One remark: you used the “wrong” picture having too few moles. To me it looks like you “accidentally” took the picture of Big Pharma trying to justify the high prices and the generic’s hammer hitting their heads to lower the prices. The “real” board for HCV generics must have by now hundreds/thousands of moles with Big Pharma desperate in trying to hit all the headsP.s. a picture to start a nice day
RHF
Hi Sven,
as the name of this thread says, it is a “Whack-a-mole” game
. The funny part is that on our side, we may also play the “Whack-a-mole”.
Why is that? Because as long as the healthcare system, Big Pharma, uninformed or miss-informed medical staff are playing the song of “legal compliance”, “ensuring low risks for the benefit of the patients” and all such things, an HCV patient can / may play also the song of acting with legitimacy in order to get cured.
What I had in view in my case when I decided to get treated with generics:
– it was MY LIFE in charge so the decision to use the generics was mine.
– it was/is my right to be healthy (see Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
– it was my money in place. I was aware from the beginning that I will not be refunded any cost (nor for the drugs, nor for the blood tests), but as long as I pay for the blood tests, I should receive the results.
– thanks to dr. Freeman and Greg, I found out that via Art. 60 from TRIPS, the path to get the generic drugs was in compliance with the legal provisions.So, now it is my turn to play “Whack-a-mole”:
– I reached UND with generic drugs. As of today I have several weeks to wait till week #12 after EOT, however I do believe that it worked very well.
– I did not had to wait (not anymore) for the mercy of the healthcare system or the Big Pharma and I got treated with an affordable cost. Every time I say these to people around me, everyone gets amazed and say the “WOW”.
– whenever someone tells me that the generic drugs might be fake, or not efficient or illegal, I take my “hammer” and talk about me being UND, the importance of the supply chain integrity for generic drugs and the Art. 60 from Trips. And last but not least the results presented by dr. Freeman at ILC Barcelona, the trip made by Greg Jefferys to India, etc.Yes, I do agree that many people (doctors or not) are still very reluctant to the idea of generic drugs, however the fact that they are reluctant it is NOT because the generic drugs are having an issue, rather it is their own (I would say wrong or incomplete) perception about the generic drugs.
P.S. sorry for all the bolds and underlined words in this post.
Cheers,
RHF
RHF
Thank you. You know I agree with what you said and before I sign out of here I wanted to say that.
The big pharma reps shower these docs with huge gifts of gratis when they play kind with billion dollar companies, when they don’t though they get their friends to hate them by forming cliques against them, and to think they were once friends! The cliques are ever present even in our group of like minded patients, all in theory on the same page BUT if you sway from them in the slightest their nails get long and they react by forming their own cliques too. So who the hell knows “who’s on first” anymore? So I thank you for your brilliant commentary and social equilibrium, ah what a refreshing read that was.
Cheers my friend but watch your back here your Karma will disappear if you don’t kiss the right booty!
Sven wrote:RHF
Thank you. You know I agree with what you said and before I sign out of here I wanted to say that.
The big pharma reps shower these docs with huge gifts of gratis when they play kind with billion dollar companies, when they don’t though they get their friends to hate them by forming cliques against them, and to think they were once friends! The cliques are ever present even in our group of like minded patients, all in theory on the same page BUT if you sway from them in the slightest their nails get long and they react by forming their own cliques too. So who the hell knows “who’s on first” anymore? So I thank you for your brilliant commentary and social equilibrium, ah what a refreshing read that was.
Cheers my friend but watch your back here your Karma will disappear if you don’t kiss the right booty!
Too bloody right Sven!!!!!!!
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