#4053879 - 12/21/14 01:25 AM
Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,125 Per Pill
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Haggart
I Fought Diablo
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I Fought Diablo
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonk...rds/?tid=pm_popFinally, there’s a medication to cure hepatitis C that doesn’t require use of the dreaded drugs interferon or ribavirin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this month approved Harvoni, a once-daily tablet manufactured by Gilead Sciences. Harvoni is a combination medication that includes sofosbuvir (Sovaldi), another Gilead breakthrough treatment approved late last year, and ledipasvir, which is also made by Gilead. The new medication costs $95,000 for a 12-week course of treatment
"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
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#4053887 - 12/21/14 02:02 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Nixer
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Well Hag, again I had to unblock you....temporarily. You are missing (surprise, surprise) the key issue here. Insurance companies are refusing to pay for Harvoni, unless your liver function is way low...In fact so bad you are into cirrhosis....which is kinda silly to say the least. "Sorry, we can't treat you until your liver is damaged beyond repair" Will have a pic soon of the worlds most expensive drug for ya. Oh, and another interesting factoid, most people with Hep C got it innocently from a blood transfusion. Prior to Jan 1990, blood was NOT screened for Hep C. Folks out there may have it and not have a clue....If they don't drink...that gives you a clue, and maybe eat raw oysters and die. BTW Hag, you factor in the tests, Doc visits etc it's well over $100K for the 90 day program. I should know. I got Hep C from a blood transfusion in Sept 1989 after an accident and, besides some suspicions after talking with people who had it, until Mar this year I really didn't know I had the disease. I was just approved, begrudgingly after a fairly nasty battle with my Insurance company, for Harvoni this past Thurs. I have a GREAT Doc, who has an even greater assistant who have been fighting for me all the way. Great opportunity for me to turn my life around health wise, and I intend to take full advantage of it. It IS ridiculously expensive.....BUT....since this is Sim HQ....you can get around it....if you are broke enough. PM me for more info if you have it.
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"There's a sucker born every minute." Phineas Taylor Barnum
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#4053895 - 12/21/14 02:45 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 15,786
Haggart
I Fought Diablo
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I Fought Diablo
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Nixer .... "I was just approved, begrudgingly after a fairly nasty battle with my Insurance company, for Harvoni this past Thurs"Awesome, grats ! As to the insurance companies not wanting to pay for someones $95K treatment unless their liver is almost gone - jee, imagine that ! Nixer.... "Well Hag, again I had to unblock you....temporarily"
"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
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#4053904 - 12/21/14 03:13 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Nixer
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Interestingly, while I was searching for guinea pig programs on the net, I found one in Japan where they are using MASSIVE doses of Vitamin C as a potential cure.
Caught my eye since I learned years ago about killing colds with 10K Mg doses of vitamin C.
I haven't had a "cold" for more than 12 hours since I learned that trick decades ago....FACT
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Look for me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tic Toc...or anywhere you may frequent, besides SimHq, on the Global Scam Net. Aka, the internet. I am not there, never have been or ever will be, but the fruitless search may be more gratifying then the "content" you might otherwise be exposed to.
"There's a sucker born every minute." Phineas Taylor Barnum
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#4053906 - 12/21/14 03:19 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 15,786
Haggart
I Fought Diablo
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I Fought Diablo
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The Lone Star State
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Interesting you mention that about vitamin C - my dad always said Vitamin C was a great defense against cold viruses. There is something else though i discovered that perhaps is an even greater defense - washing my hands often. I haven't had a cold now in 4 years.
"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
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#4054187 - 12/21/14 09:18 PM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 10,343
shan2
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I'm outraged. How dare those people try to recoup their investment for a cure??? They should be giving away the fruits of their labors to those that need them. From those with ability to those with need, eh Haggart?
You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.
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#4054307 - 12/22/14 01:29 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Oct 1999
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Haggart
I Fought Diablo
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I Fought Diablo
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medicine in some respects is no different then any other business where profits are important - but that doesn't mean we should paint the entire industry with the same brush of pure greed - while we may not have the best health care system in the world it sure isn't the worst either
"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
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#4054312 - 12/22/14 01:41 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Jul 2002
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shan2
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When that statement is coming from the same guy who espoused proton radiation at nearly 20X the cost and same effectiveness as gamma radiation, it is a bit difficult to gauge its sincerity.
Oh, and in case it wasn't obvious...I was being sarcastic.
You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.
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#4054318 - 12/22/14 01:58 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 15,786
Haggart
I Fought Diablo
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I Fought Diablo
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Well you made your point - you feel proton radiation treatment is useless and over priced. As to being over priced - well a lot of things are over priced but if it saves your life or the life of someone you love then you're grateful. Chemo, surgery, or traditional radiation therapy or combinations of may not be the best choice in all brain tumor cases. From everything i've read about proton treatment there are enough researchers and doctors in the medical field that feel it has a place in treatment of brain tumors.
You've made it clear you don't agree with that. Fine & noted.
Both Proton Treatment Centers in Florida and in Houston have been treating 60-80 patients/day since 2008 and the cost is more then conventional radiation but less costly then surgery.
just some of the survivors who underwent proton cancer treatment at M.D. Anderson: Brain
Stephanie Mullins, Optic Nerve Glioma Caitlin Acree, Optic Nerve Glioma
Childhood Cancers
Gage Buri, Pilocytic Astrocytoma Brain Tumor Joseph Campione, Rhabdomyosarcoma Jake C., Rhabdomyoscarcoma Max Daniel, Anaplastic Meningioma Brain Tumor Victoria Fox, Parameningeal Embryonal Rhabdomysarcoma Forrest Jackson, Germinoma Ava Jacobs, Medulloblastoma Ana Kate Partridge, Medulloblastoma Matthew Rager, Glioma Brain Tumor Jacob Ralston, Ewing's Sarcoma Hailey Strole, Astrocytoma Emily Trail, Ependymoma, Spinal Tumor Coleson Young, Ependymoma
Esophageal
Roberto Olivares
Head and Neck
Carol Monroe, left neck paraganglioma Vaughn Bradley, Nasopharyngeal Cancer Louise Chaung, Squamous Cell Carcinoma Shane Leonard, Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Mary Lott, Neuroblastoma of the Sinus Cavity and Brain Gerry McKim, Oropharynx Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Lung
Helen Schmidt Chuck Martinez Jose Rovira Suzan Shughart Billy Walls
Lymphoma
Molly Allen Esther Lombrozo Katie Meacham
Prostate Cancer
Lorenzo Abundiz Walter Atkinson Drew Cox Khalid Al Failakwal Ahmed Fakhri Gerard First John Floyd Jack Holloway Harvey House Rick Keller Joe Landry Terry Lavy Peter Taaffe Richard Trevino
"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
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#4054390 - 12/22/14 07:39 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Aug 2002
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PV1
sometime mudslinger
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sometime mudslinger
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Ladner, Wet Coast, Canada
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Medical isotope production for Tc-99 and some other products is being done with cyclotrons, some new due to the Chalk River machine problems, some has been going on for decades. Superconducting machines in the appropriate energy range can be built now on a small footprint, for a lot cheaper than in the past. Hospitals are installing these for a guaranteed local supply of isotopes. When you've got the machine, adding proton therapy is an incremental cost, and as the technology matures and spreads, you can expect to see it get steadily cheaper.
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#4054391 - 12/22/14 07:43 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 15,786
Haggart
I Fought Diablo
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thanks for your input and perspective PV1
"everything lives by a law, a central balance sustains all"
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#4054610 - 12/22/14 06:45 PM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: shan2]
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 178
harryw
Member
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Member
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NV
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I'm outraged. How dare those people try to recoup their investment for a cure??? They should be giving away the fruits of their labors to those that need them. From those with ability to those with need, eh Haggart? More like patent squatting than "fruits of their labors". "Giving away"? Hardly. At even a 10th of the price they charge they'd make a huge profit; Sovaldi is available in Egypt for 1% of the US price. It's just what happens in a free market when there is no real competition. Gilead couldn’t have been clearer about its intentions to charge a high price. It purchased Sovaldi by buying the drug’s developer, Pharmasset, for $11 billion in 2011, and then, in an ethically dicey move, stopped developing the drug in combination with a Bristol-Myers product so it could control all of the economics itself. It couldn’t have been clearer that Gilead expected to make bank on this new drug. http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2014/12/22/drug-price-war-takes-pharma-back-to-the-future/
Last edited by harryw; 12/22/14 06:50 PM.
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#4055659 - 12/24/14 09:51 PM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 10,343
shan2
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Maryland, USA
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harryw, no. Let's take a good look at what is being offered. Is it an alternative therapy for hepatitis C. Yes, it has a higher cure rate, but its main benefit is the lack of side effects. So, it is highly unlikely that the entire populace who have hepatitis C in the U.S. would be customers for the drug given the trend of medical insurance. Sure, if you could get every man, woman, and child who has hepatitis C to use the drug, then costs can be recouped at much lower price points. But that's pretty unlikely.
You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.
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#4055660 - 12/24/14 09:53 PM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 10,343
shan2
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Well you made your point - you feel proton radiation treatment is useless and over priced. As to being over priced - well a lot of things are over priced but if it saves your life or the life of someone you love then you're grateful. Chemo, surgery, or traditional radiation therapy or combinations of may not be the best choice in all brain tumor cases. From everything i've read about proton treatment there are enough researchers and doctors in the medical field that feel it has a place in treatment of brain tumors.
You've made it clear you don't agree with that. Fine & noted.
Both Proton Treatment Centers in Florida and in Houston have been treating 60-80 patients/day since 2008 and the cost is more then conventional radiation but less costly then surgery.
just some of the survivors who underwent proton cancer treatment at M.D. Anderson: *snip* Show me the data from the control group that validates the proton therapy ended with superior outcomes.
Last edited by shan2; 12/24/14 09:53 PM.
You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.
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#4055663 - 12/24/14 09:59 PM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 10,343
shan2
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*snip*
Prostate Cancer
Lorenzo Abundiz Walter Atkinson Drew Cox Khalid Al Failakwal Ahmed Fakhri Gerard First John Floyd Jack Holloway Harvey House Rick Keller Joe Landry Terry Lavy Peter Taaffe Richard Trevino http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/expert...h-the-cost.aspxBenefits in prostate cancer uncertain
Proton therapy has been proven beneficial for tumors surrounded by sensitive structures such as the eye, brain, and spinal cord, where the potential for radiation damage is very high. Proton therapy also offers a distinct benefit in many childhood cancers due to the high risk of long-term side effects in children who receive standard radiation treatment.
In contrast, most studies of proton therapy for prostate cancer suggest that this new approach may be just as good as standard photon radiation treatment at controlling the growth and spread of the cancer, but there is no evidence that proton treatment does a better job of curing the cancer.
And in spite of the theory that protons cause less damage to normal tissue, there is at present no convincing evidence that urinary (bladder problems), gastrointestinal (rectal leakage or bleeding), or sexual (erectile dysfunction), complication rates are lower following proton therapy. A few studies suggest that rates of some side effects might even be higher.
Proton therapy popular and profitable
The lack of evidence has not slowed the rapid increase in the use of proton treatment for prostate cancer. One recent study documented a 67% increase in the number of cases of proton treatment for prostate cancer billed to Medicare between 2006 and 2009. This rate of growth is particularly noteworthy given the limited access to proton therapy: there are at present only 10 proton beam centers operating in the United States, and each center treats only a few hundred cancer patients each year.
The small number of centers reflects the complexity and cost ($100-$225 million) of building and maintaining the facilities. While equipment needed for standard radiation treatment can usually be added to an existing hospital or treatment facility, delivering proton beam therapy requires constructing a specialized building and installing complicated and expensive equipment to speed up atoms to what's needed to separate the proton and fire it at the tumor. (Although it should be noted that more prostate cancer patients are being treated with proton therapy because new centers are opening, and increased outreach to patients is resulting in some centers extending hours to treat them.)
With this limited availability and no evidence that proton therapy is better, why is use of the procedure rising at such a feverish pace? Financial incentives may be playing a role. Proton beam therapy for prostate cancer is reimbursed at a much higher rate than traditional radiation treatment for the same condition. Medicare pays about $19,000 for a full dose of standard radiation therapy for prostate cancer, but it pays nearly double for proton therapy - more than $32,000.
Prostate cancer has become far and away the most common condition for which a Medicare beneficiary receives proton beam therapy, accounting for 2 of every 3 claims and 80% of Medicare spending on the procedure. So while the cost to build a treatment center is high, proton therapy presents a lucrative opportunity for those who are willing to make the investment. Established facilities in the US report annual revenue approaching $50 million. This profit potential is leading to a veritable "arms race" in the field, with the number of facilities in the US expected to double in the next few years.
Given the rising cost of US healthcare it is increasingly important to prove through studies that paying more is associated with better outcomes. A great deal of research is currently underway to determine whether proton beam therapy for prostate cancer can fulfill the hope of saving livings while limiting side effects and complications. However, men who are choosing treatment today should be aware that proton therapy's hoped-for benefits have not yet been proven. Meanwhile these men (as well as Medicare and other insurers) should reasonably ask, "Does it make sense to get the same results yet pay twice as much?"
You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.
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#4079798 - 02/17/15 03:50 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: shan2]
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Nixer
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Living with the Trees
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Just starting week 5 of my treatment.
My week 4 test results (they took 5 tubes of blood!) came back Hepatitis free. Zero, Zip, Zilch, Nada.
I went from a viral load count of over 7 Million to undetectable in 4 weeks! Also my liver function test has improved almost 40% in the same time frame.
This for a disease that was incurable not that long ago, is pretty dang miraculous to me.
Felt like crap the first couple of weeks, bouts of bad nausea and some ass kickin headches. The only lingering side effect is fatigue. I sleep a lot including afternoon naps, but who cares.
Now just concentrating on eating foods that are good for my liver, hoping to rebuild it after all those years not knowing I had it....no alcohol while on the meds.
Am on my second 28 day supply. Insurance pays $30,100 for each 28 day batch, I payed $5 for the first bottle and now they are free for me thanks to Gilead's co-pay assistance program. NO WAY I could have even afforded the co-pay, never mind the whole cost.
Have a great Doc and he has an even greater nursing assistant who have fought for me all the way. I am still amazed I was approved. This particular insurance company has only approved less than 10% of those wanting it according to my Doc, like almost 200 people on the list with this group of 4 gastro docs. The insurance company could have disapproved me if they had stuck to the letter of the guidelines.
Kinda like winning $100K lottery prize....this is more like the lottery of life.
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Look for me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tic Toc...or anywhere you may frequent, besides SimHq, on the Global Scam Net. Aka, the internet. I am not there, never have been or ever will be, but the fruitless search may be more gratifying then the "content" you might otherwise be exposed to.
"There's a sucker born every minute." Phineas Taylor Barnum
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#4079800 - 02/17/15 04:00 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Nixer]
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Joined: Mar 2001
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Nixer
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Living with the Trees
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BTW, if you have ever had a blood transfusion, especially before 1990, do yourself a favor and get tested for Hepatitis C.
Censored
Look for me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tic Toc...or anywhere you may frequent, besides SimHq, on the Global Scam Net. Aka, the internet. I am not there, never have been or ever will be, but the fruitless search may be more gratifying then the "content" you might otherwise be exposed to.
"There's a sucker born every minute." Phineas Taylor Barnum
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#4079806 - 02/17/15 04:26 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Joined: Nov 2004
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adlabs6
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Tracy Island
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Glad to hear it Nixer, all the best!
WARNING: This post contains opinions produced in a facility which also occasionally processes fact products.
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#4079808 - 02/17/15 04:29 AM
Re: Got Hepatitis C ? No Problem - 12 Week Course Treatment At Only $1,250 Per Pill
[Re: Haggart]
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Desert Eagle
Master of the Weird
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Here in Portugal we had a huge issue about the price of the new Hep-C treatment because the state was in negotiations with the pharmaceutical for months without any agreement, all because of the the price. The company wanted 41K Euros per treatment for 13000 patients giving a total of 533 Million Euros, but the state refused to pay that much claiming that in France for example the price was below 20K Euros. It reached a point that during a press conference with the minister of health several patients begged not to let them die, as some had already died waiting for the medication. A few days later the news came out that the pharmaceutical company had accepted to cut the price in nearly half, to 24K Euros per treatment and if the patient needed more, the extra pills would e free. Also if the treatment failed there would be no cost. http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/healt.../article/425590http://spidol.esy.es/?p=21269
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