Pharmco PIGS price point

Once again, you have ignored my statements or you have a serious reading comprehension problem. If you look at my post, (I will type real slow here for you) I stated that ONCE A COMPANY BECOMES AWARE OF A POSSIBLE HARMFUL SIDE EFFECT OR MISAPPLICATION OF ITS PRODUCT, THEN IT MUST WARN THE FDA AND CUSTOMERS. No where did I state that a company has to be aware of every possible side effect for every patient. IT is once the company becomes AWARE of a problem, then it MUST TAKE ACTION.

Really it is not that difficult of a concept to comprehend. Unless you are simply willfully misstating my posts to arrive at a straw man argument.

homeagain wrote: Well, THIS has certainly been an ENLIGHTENING (albeit disheartening) page of posts.....Until
NOW, I thought a larger percentage of people were aware of the woefully LACKING FDA,it's
shortage of personnel (inspectors,ect.)AND it's limited ability to ACTUALLY perform the job
that is required of it.....there is NO budget for adequate oversight...NOT in food OR drug and
IF you believe that you are "safe" in knowing what goes into your mouth/body.....I believe you
are fool-hearted....JMO

If GM KNEW of defects,but opted to IGNORE a small,inexpensive fix.....WHAT makes you think
the drug companies are NOT doing the same thing.... I can't count the number
of drugs that have been PULLED OFF THE MARKET (after approval from FDA) because ADEQUATE
oversight was not done....the list is frightening. Doing the RESEARCH makes
you keenly aware of the shortfalls of the FDA......look it up for yourself.....it takes effort I
know,but I am truly tired of the laziness exhibited sometimes.....

We get back to the ORIGINAL information......$1,000 Dollars A PILL is obnoxious and out of
line....GREED at it's utmost ugliness......JMO

Don't get frustrated and give up HA.
I think your posts are good and agree about 90%.
Others are just pointing out other factors at play here besides greed that are driving prices also.

In any case, with the ACA you have even less options now and individual control than before, you are going to subsidize everyone's over-priced drugs under mandate, even if you choose other treatment options.

Something the Dog Said wrote: Do you have a single fact that supports your assertion that the pricing of the Solivad drug by Gilead is solely based on the cost of bringing that product to market? Nope, not a single fact.

Speaking of reading comprehension problems, it looks to me that the pot is calling a kettle black. I am not making that argument, in fact I am making an entirely different one; which is that the cost of Solvadi (I presume that is the drug you were talking about too) is based on much more than simply the cost of researching and producing it for sale, even though that seems to be all that others wish to consider when deciding that the $1K a pill price is outrageous. So are you having difficulty comprehending or are you intentionally distorting yet again?

And have all who are seeking to disparage Gilead for their pricing of this one drug been made aware of all of the facts or simply the ones fed to them in thier echo chambers which tell them to be outraged by the $1K per pill price? Were any of you aware of the following?

U.S. Patient Assistance Program

Gilead is committed to ensuring that people with hepatitis C can access Sovaldi and has launched Support Path™ ( http://www.MySupportPath.com ) to provide assistance to patients who are uninsured, underinsured or who need financial assistance to pay for the medicine. The program consists of an integrated offering of support services for patients and providers, including:

Access to dedicated case managers to help patients and their providers with insurance-related needs, including identifying alternative coverage options such as federally-insured programs (e.g., Medicaid, Medicare) and health exchanges.
Education and support, including a 24/7 nursing support service line and the ability to schedule an onsite visit from a clinical educator.
The Sovaldi Co-pay Coupon Program, which provides co-pay assistance for eligible patients with private insurance who need assistance paying for out-of-pocket medication costs. Most patients will pay no more than $5 per co-pay. Co-pay assistance can also be applied toward deductibles and co-insurance obligations.
Gilead will provide support to the Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation, an independent non-profit organization that provides assistance for eligible federally-insured and privately-insured patients who need help covering out-of-pocket medication costs.
The Support Path Patient Assistance Program will provide Sovaldi at no charge for eligible patients with no other insurance options.
Information about how to apply for any of these forms of assistance can be found at http://www.MySupportPath.com or by calling 1-855-7MyPath (1-855-769-7284) between 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. EST.

- See more at: http://www.gilead.com/news/press-releas ... fpOsM.dpuf

So, in fact, it looks a lot like the same kind of cost shifting strategy being employed by the (un)Affordable Care Act is being employed here. Access to the drug is subsidized for those who meet certain guidelines by those who don't meet those guidelines. Isn't that supposed to be the way that health care is affordable for everyone according to the model preferred by the party of Democrats? They champion that system as being a good thing when they employ it and villify others who employ it. Good to see they are staying consistent in their hypocrisy. A company that is offering a lifesaving medicine for "free or at low cost" to those eligible so that all have access to a drug which can cure them of their disease and prevent them from having to undergo a liver transplant operation that costs $300K or more certainly sounds like a company whose sole motivating factor is greed to me. You are a tool Dog, a useful idiot who parrots talking points spoon fed to you in an echo chamber. You do nothing other than regurgitate something that a dog has said.

homeagain wrote: We get back to the ORIGINAL information......$1,000 Dollars A PILL is obnoxious and out of
line....GREED at it's utmost ugliness......JMO

Ditto for this nonsense in light of the facts which inform everyone that the company is committed to helping anyone who needs this drug to cure themselves of hep C obtain it even if that means providing it at no cost to someone who is financially unable to afford even a $5 a month co-pay for it. No cost to one is not the same as not cost to all, of course. Someone has to pay for that medicine, just as someone has to pay for the "free" annual check-up, "free" birth control, and all the other "free" goodies contained in the (un)Affordable Care Act.

OH PLEASE....do you HONESTLY believe they did that out of the "kindness of their heart"....there
has been an XTENSIVE AMOUNT of "push back" for their decision to price point $1000 per pill.

I brought this thread forward BECAUSE of the issue....INFORMATION IS POWER.

Here's what REALLY happened.....( have worked in corp america long enough to identify the
M.O.)THEY FLOATED THE IDEA to see what would happen....NO reaction, price stands.....there
was a REACTION......they back off the idea (slightly)....JMO

homeagain wrote: OH PLEASE....do you HONESTLY believe they did that out of the "kindness of their heart"....there
has been an XTENSIVE AMOUNT of "push back" for their decision to price point $1000 per pill.

I brought this thread forward BECAUSE of the issue....INFORMATION IS POWER.

Here's what REALLY happened.....( have worked in corp america long enough to identify the
M.O.)THEY FLOATED THE IDEA to see what would happen....NO reaction, price stands.....there
was a REACTION......they back off the idea (slightly)....JMO

Isn't that the truth.

homeagain wrote: Well, THIS has certainly been an ENLIGHTENING (albeit disheartening) page of posts.....Until
NOW, I thought a larger percentage of people were aware of the woefully LACKING FDA,it's
shortage of personnel (inspectors,ect.)AND it's limited ability to ACTUALLY perform the job
that is required of it.....there is NO budget for adequate oversight...NOT in food OR drug and
IF you believe that you are "safe" in knowing what goes into your mouth/body.....I believe you
are fool-hearted....JMO

If GM KNEW of defects,but opted to IGNORE a small,inexpensive fix.....WHAT makes you think
the drug companies are NOT doing the same thing.... I can't count the number
of drugs that have been PULLED OFF THE MARKET (after approval from FDA) because ADEQUATE
oversight was not done....the list is frightening. Doing the RESEARCH makes
you keenly aware of the shortfalls of the FDA......look it up for yourself.....it takes effort I
know,but I am truly tired of the laziness exhibited sometimes.....

We get back to the ORIGINAL information......$1,000 Dollars A PILL is obnoxious and out of
line....GREED at it's utmost ugliness......JMO

First of all HA, we stand in different shoes and see things in a different way. For three years I felt like a friggin lab rat getting pumped full of different cocktails and lots of different pills I could barely pronounce. My doctors went over all the side effects and also told me it was my responsibility to tell them if any of these side effects started to develop. Had I not been fighting for my life I would have been very concerned, but I wasn't. I wanted them to throw everything at me they felt would work and it was the risk I was willing to take... and in the end, I was left with bad permanent neuropathy in my feet and I'm on blood thinners (semi-rat poison) for the rest of my life.

I see drug science like every other science... unsettled and always evolving. Some people seem to think that drug manufacturers should be able to invent drugs that work, at an "affordable" price, without major side effects, and they should also know that these drugs are safe for every person with any unique condition. I think this is as likely as world peace, so I accept the imperfections of man made drugs and understanding how a business works, I accept the there is a high cost for developing these imperfect drugs.

The other thing I know about business is that NOBODY is going to risk capital and future lawsuits on a product that does not have the potential for big profits. And when a company fails to deliver a quality product that's benefits outweigh the risks, that company can kiss it's own ass goodbye.

Now I know you probably want more government control over these companies and would like to limit the amount of profit they can make. You probably want the FDA to analyze every drug until the gov't agency feels 100% confident that a new drug will be 100% safe, no matter how long the research takes. But I don't think those goals are possible without destroying the big incentives for private companies to invest private capital new drugs. I'm not saying there shouldn't be an FDA, but I also don't think a gov't agency can find every issue a drug might have for every individual. I'm satisfied with the imperfect drugs that left me with permanent issues because I understand the alternative.

There’s one factor that, as much as anything else, determines how many medicines are invented, what diseases they treat, and, to an extent, what price patients must pay for them: the cost of inventing and developing a new drug, a cost driven by the uncomfortable fact than 95% of the experimental medicines that are studied in humans fail to be both effective and safe.

A new analysis conducted at Forbes puts grim numbers on these costs. A company hoping to get a single drug to market can expect to have spent $350 million before the medicine is available for sale. In part because so many drugs fail, large pharmaceutical companies that are working on dozens of drug projects at once spend $5 billion per new medicine.

Risk/Reward

http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherp ... -medicine/

Good link from Forbes. My sister used to work for a startup that was trying to develop a head trauma drug. They went through a lot of capital working on this and finally had to fold after three years. If Dog had her way and price limited life saving medicines, how many fewer people would be willing to start these high risk high reward companies?

Rick....You are very correct that we come from much different approaches...I have given it
much thought about what I would do IF I had a severe condition.....for me, LESS is more.

Perhaps that is because I am 67 and my "view" reflects my desire for QUALITY over QUANTITY

I have been EXTREMELY fortunate to have enjoyed good health (for the most part). I have
inherited arthritis from my family tree and a vertigo issue that is bothersome at times....BUT,
I would consider myself in GOOD health in general.

From my POV, thru the years, I have made a CONSCIOUS effort to make informed and mindful
choices for myself (body)....I have taken a minimalist approach to drugs...meaning I generally
do NOT take medication. Yes, Advil or once or twice thru my life an antibiotic. At 67 years of
age I take HRT...a LO DO pill that I split in half.....that's it.

I have primary care physician (Functional Medicine) who believes that the staying away from
hospitals, clinics, doctors and DRUGS is the BEST thing you can do for your life.

THIS is an example of my mindset.....at one point my doctor (the above person) ABSOLUTELY
felt I needed Thyroid Meds (Synthroid).....my TSH level was thru the roof and she was adamant that it was necessary. BECAUSE she had my SAME mindset, I acquiesced and
took the meds......6 weeks of feeling like I was 85 years old (pretty sh**ty) I STEPPED DOWN
OFF the drug. (of course, by that time I had gained 10 lbs)....I did alot of RESEARCH within
that period of time and requested ADDITIONAL tests for my Free T3 and Free T4...THOSE
came back within range....rather than take main stream meds, I opted for ALTERNATIVE MED
approach...acupuncture, Chinese herbs and monitoring my blood work.....within several months
I was able to feel like myself again (STILL had the 10lbs extra on my frame,tho) I have since
done MORE research and have found Dr. Oz's article on two chemicals that are in household
products (anti-bacterial soap being one of them) and THOSE factors are exacerbating the
thyroid factor.....I am my OWN ADVOCATE for my health.....this is how I approach things.

Mary Scott wrote:

homeagain wrote: OH PLEASE....do you HONESTLY believe they did that out of the "kindness of their heart"....there
has been an XTENSIVE AMOUNT of "push back" for their decision to price point $1000 per pill.

I brought this thread forward BECAUSE of the issue....INFORMATION IS POWER.

Here's what REALLY happened.....( have worked in corp america long enough to identify the
M.O.)THEY FLOATED THE IDEA to see what would happen....NO reaction, price stands.....there
was a REACTION......they back off the idea (slightly)....JMO

Isn't that the truth.

"JMO"....."isn't that the truth".....from my POV a cyber community website is NOTHING but
opinion....but, I believe it is advantageous to expose yourself to OTHER views so you have
a BETTER understanding of the world around you.....JMO

homeagain wrote:

Mary Scott wrote: Isn't that the truth.

"JMO"....."isn't that the truth".....from my POV a cyber community website is NOTHING but
opinion....but, I believe it is advantageous to expose yourself to OTHER views so you have
a BETTER understanding of the world around you.....JMO

Indeed, but you started that paragraph with "Here's what REALLY happened....." with an emphasis on "REALLY" and then a pause. At that point I was not expecting an opinion, I was expecting hard facts.