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Why Sovaldi Shouldn't Cost $84,000
Medicaid managed-care plans are demanding relief from state officials to meet mounting outlays for Gilead Sciences' wonder drug, while insurer WellPoint called Sovaldi its biggest watch item.
The healthcare payment world is justifiably upset over the escalating cost of treating those carrying the hepatitis C virus, which leads to 19,000 deaths a year from cirrhosis and liver cancer. A 12-week treatment with Sovaldi costs $84,000—approximately $1,000 a pill.
Medicaid managed-care plans are demanding relief from state officials to meet mounting outlays for Gilead Sciences' wonder drug, while insurer WellPoint called Sovaldi its “biggest watch item.”
The pharmaceutical industry's defense of the price tags placed on specialty drugs such as Sovaldi hasn't changed in decades: Their price reflects the cost and risks of research and development. Gilead also points to Sovaldi's comparative effectiveness. It has a 90%-plus cure rate with minimal side effects. Interferon, the prior treatment, is only half as effective, triggers flu-like symptoms with every shot and still costs up to $50,000 a year.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/1fPJPRe
Source: Modern Healthcare
HIV, Hepatitis C Testing Rates Remain Dismal Among Injection Drug Users
April 17th 2020Despite being at an increased risk for HIV and hepatitis C, persons who inject drugs (PWID) are tested at dismal rates for both: just 8.6% and 7.7%, respectively, according to data from 2010 to 2017. PWID who live in rural communities are more likely to face barriers to adequate testing and care for both diseases.
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Dr Rebekah Gee Offers an Inside Look at Louisiana's Subscription Payment Model for HCV Drugs
May 7th 2019We speak with Dr Rebekah Gee, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health about the subscription payment model for hepatitis C virus drugs that the state has entered into with Asegua Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences.
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