Center for the Biology of Chronic Disease (CBCD)

American Patients Forced to Subsidize Others Due to Gilead Pricing; CBCD Examines the Evidence

Gilead Sciences, Inc. has offered a 99% discount to the government of India. CBCD reminds the public that Americans must pay the full $84,000 for a 12 week treatment.

 

Rochester, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/04/2014 --“Infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV)? The CBCD recommends taking Novirin or Gene-Eden-VIR” – Greg Bennett, CBCD

Americans must pay 99% more for Gilead Sciences’s new drug against an HCV infection than others in most countries. “The blockbuster hepatitis C drug will cost about $900 … in India for a 12-week course of treatment. That would be a fraction of the $84,000 … price tag for the same treatment in US.”(1) Gregg Alton, executive VP (vice president) at Gilead said the price of their hepatitis C drug in India, at $300 per bottle, “is our low income pricing, similar to the price negotiated with Egypt for its government-run programme. We hope with local production by our partners in India, higher volumes and continued research & development on the drug will lead to a further reduction in prices at a later stage.” (1)

The CBCD understands that Gilead must recover their expenses in developing their drug, and even make a profit. According to Gilead’s suggested pricing, Americans are the only ones who cover Gilead’s costs, while the rest of the world is not participating. In other words, Gilead’s pricing forces Americans to subsidize citizens of other countries. The CBCD finds this pricing schedule unfair. After all, there are many Americans who do not have insurance, and therefore cannot pay the exuberant price of $84,000 for treatment. The CBCD believes that these people should not be required to subsidize poor people in other countries.

Click to learn more about hepatitis C symptoms.

The Center for the Biology of Chronic Disease (CBCD) recommends that individuals infected with hepatitis C (HCV) take Novirin or Gene-Eden-VIR. The formula of these natural antiviral products was tested by Hanan Polansky and Edan Itzkovitz from the CBCD in two clinical studies that followed FDA guidelines. The studies showed that the Gene-Eden-VIR and Novirin formula is effective against the EBV and other viruses. The clinical studies were published in the peer reviewed, medical journal Pharmacology & Pharmacy, the first, in a special edition on Advances in Antiviral Drugs. Study authors wrote that, “individuals infected with HCV … reported a safe decrease in their symptoms following treatment with Gene-Eden-VIR.” (2) The study authors also wrote that “we observed a statistically significant decrease in the severity, duration, and frequency of symptoms.” (2)

Both products can be ordered online on the Novirin and G Gene-Eden-VIR websites.

Novirin and Gene-Eden-VIR are natural antiviral dietary supplements. Their formula contains five natural ingredients: Selenium, Camellia Sinesis Extract, Quercetin, Cinnamomum Extract, and Licorice Extract. The first ingredient is a trace element, and the other four are plant extracts. Each ingredient and its dose was chosen through a scientific approach. Scientists at polyDNA, the company that invented and patented the formula, scanned thousands of scientific and medical papers published in various medical and scientific journals, and identified the safest and most effective natural ingredients against latent viruses. To date, Novirin and Gene-Eden-VIR are the only natural antiviral products on the market with published clinical studies that support their claims.

The CBCD is not alone in questioning the high price of Gilead’s HCV drug. In a healthcare article in The New York Times, John Rother, president of the National Coalition on Health Care, said “Clearly, $1,000 a pill strikes people as completely unreasonable…people can’t imagine why that could be justified.” (3) Previous drugs used to treat a hepatitis C infection were also very expensive. The most recent “cost about $70,000 – but because few patients chose them, the price tag did not cause a big reaction.” (3) Gilead’s new drug is different. “Patients want this drug, with its high success rate and smaller list of side effects. That means a big financial shock to the health care system all at once.”(3)

Are there other, more affordable drugs against HCV?

Until recently, “the combination of a pegylated interferon (IFN)-? and ribavirin (was) the standard treatment for chronic HCV infections. This combination is effective in about 80% of the individuals infected with the HCV genotype 2 or 3, and in about 40% – 50% in those infected with genotype 1 or 4. Lately, two new drugs were approved, telaprevir and boceprevir, with better results. However, the combinations of pegylated interferon (IFN)-? and ribavirin and telaprevir or boceprevir are associated with additional side effects, increased costs, and more complex treatment strategies.” (2) The CBCD reminds the public that there are also two natural HCV remedies. Those products are Novirin and Gene-Eden-VIR.

Novirin and Gene-Eden-VIR are not drugs. They are natural remedies designed to help the immune system target the latent HCV. The formula for both products was shown to be safe and effective in reducing HCV symptoms in two separate post-marketing clinical studies that followed FDA guidelines.

In light of the above information, the CBCD recommends that individuals infected with the hepatitis C virus take Novirin or Gene-Eden-VIR.

Click to learn more about Novirin and hepatitis C and Gene-Eden-VIR and hepatitis C.

References:

(1)Mukherjee, R. "New Hepatitis-C drug 99% cheaper in India." Published August 6, 2014.

(2)Polansky, H. Itzkovits, E. “Gene-Eden-VIR Is Antiviral: Results of a Post Marketing Clinical Study.” Published in September 2013.

(3)Sanger-Katz, M. "$1,000 Hepatitis Pill Shows Why Fixing Health Costs Is So Hard." Published August 2, 2014.