How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
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Re: How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
#2The article is already off to a bad start, assuming the existing therapy they're talking about is Pegetron:
> The interferon-based treatments weren't successful half the time, and the side effects were so debilitating few patients could endure the months-long punishing protocol.
If the success rate is 50%, I would say that's pretty good, especially since we're talking about treatment, not just managing the disease (as we can only do nowadays with HIV). And from the product monograph: "The most frequently reported adverse reactions were mostly mild to moderate in severity and were manageable without the need for modification of doses or discontinuation of therapy. "
But no doubt, the pre-existing therapy sure has a pile of side-effects.
Re: How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
#3> took the pills for 83 days (saving one for possible testing just in case)
I would try to arrange testing before starting therapy, or at least at the point of starting therapy. There are labs that will run the test for a few hundred dollars (and a lot less if you know someone at a university, it could even be an analytical chemists' bachelor degree project).
Re: How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
#4Yes, way to go! There are honest online pharmacies, but finding them is nontrivial. And there are numerous competent generics manufacturers in India. They've captured a large share of the global generics market in recent years.
Re: How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
#5The article is already off to a bad start, assuming the existing therapy they're talking about is Pegetron: > The interferon-based treatments weren't successful half the time, and the side effects were so debilitating few patients could endure the months-long punishing protocol. If the success rate is 50%, I would say that's pretty good, especially since we're talking about treatment, not just managing the disease (a…
I worked on one of the old interferon drugs before Sovaldi/Harvoni came along.
They sucked.
Patient compliance was low due to the side effects. From what I've heard, it was like having the flu everyday for duration of treatment.
If you any mental health issues (depression, etc) you couldn't take it since the rate of suicide goes way up.
The new HCV drugs are an amazing breakthrough.
Re: How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
#6Yes, way to go! There are honest online pharmacies, but finding them is nontrivial. And there are numerous competent generics manufacturers in India. They've captured a large share of the global generics market in recent years.
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Re: How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
#7[deleted]
Re: How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
#8I'm conflicted about this article. On the one hand, the pharmaceutical companies gouging ordinary Americans is abominable. Doing something to circumvent their greed is something to support.
On the other hand, if enough people exploit loopholes like this, and the pharma company actually felt a significant drain in revenue, they may decide not to license the manufacture of these drugs in India at lower prices. If $84,000 seems unreasonably high in the US, imagine how out of reach it will be in India, where the cost of living is much lower.
Re: How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
#9I'm conflicted about this article. On the one hand, the pharmaceutical companies gouging ordinary Americans is abominable. Doing something to circumvent their greed is something to support. On the other hand, if enough people exploit loopholes like this, and the pharma company actually felt a significant drain in revenue, they may decide not to license the manufacture of these drugs in India at lower prices. If $84,0…
Right now US citizens are basically subsidizing other countries when it comes to drug revenue via price gouging. I would rather it be done via some other more explicit mechanism (e.g. India government subsidies) rather than at the expense of poor healthcare availability to people in the US.
Re: How I Got the $84k Hepatitis C Drug for $1500 by Buying It from India
#10I'm conflicted about this article. On the one hand, the pharmaceutical companies gouging ordinary Americans is abominable. Doing something to circumvent their greed is something to support. On the other hand, if enough people exploit loopholes like this, and the pharma company actually felt a significant drain in revenue, they may decide not to license the manufacture of these drugs in India at lower prices. If $84,0…
What exactly is "gouging?" The average wedding in the U.S. is almost $30,000. Average new car price is $33,000. Is $84,000 one-time an unreasonable price for a complete cure to a chronic disease?