Why Should You Recall Hearing About A Single Medication Pill Costs About $ 1000 Each Pill?

This research paper is going to review today’s silent killer, the Hepatitis C virus. This paper will talk about the description of the disease, the signs and symptoms, the etiology and risk factors, diagnostic studies, treatments and prognosis of this disease. I had lived with this disease for over ten years before diagnosed so it is important to understand the signs and symptoms so the disease can be identified and a treatment plan can be identified as the sooner it is treated the more likely it will eradicate the disease.

The approved medicine is a combination of two medicines called Harvoni. The combination holds antiviral medicines Sofosbuvir and Ledipasvir. The effective combination takes around 8-24 weeks to heal the pain of HCV. Patients taking this new combination work as much as lower risk of dangerous side effects related to the typical treatment for hepatitis C virus. HCV medication online is available with this useful combination. Regrettably, the cost of these medicines is higher than normal medications. The higher cost of the medication simply means that some patients who require it might not be appropriate for it, but it has been called as a most important breakthrough in the treatment of hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C has been referred to as a "Silent Epidemic," since it usually progresses slowly over many years. Most people who are infected with hepatitis C are not aware of any noticeable symptoms for as long as one to two decades after they are infected. In fact, by the time symptoms appear, the virus has probably already begun to damage the liver. If the liver is injured and stops functioning, death will always be the outcome (Lieber). Liver failure from chronic hepatitis C is one of the most common causes of liver transplants in the United States.

Hepatitis C used to affect minorities in urban areas. In June 2015, an epidemic has occurred in rural Appalachia among 18-24 year old white drug users. The sharing of needles contribute to the outbreak. In parts of Indiana, 25% of the population live in poverty, making treatment options unattainable (Galofarno

However, Americans pay more for prescription drugs than any other country, and there seems to be no stopping the unprecedented rise in prescription drug costs. Some specialty medications have become unaffordable under drug insurance plans which charge lofty copays under “tiered” reimbursement structures. Specialty drugs, include those that are used to treat conditions requiring a long course of treatment or a year of therapy; for example, for cancer, Hepatitis C, and other rare conditions, in addition they may require special handling, monitoring, or administration (Davis, 2016). Often these drugs exceed over $100,000 for a year or course of treatment (Trenton, 2016).

If Hepatitis C is caught in the early stages it is curable with medication. Watson points out that the medications that is used to treat Hepatitis C is very expensive and that people have a hard time paying for the cost. This results in people not getting the treatment due to the cost and this ultimately results in the person getting chronic Hepatitis C. Watson explains, “chronic Hepatitis C leads to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer or scarring of the liver” (personal communication, February 27, 2017). Watson states that within the past couple of years, drug companies have taken the cost of these medications into consideration and have set up payment plan options for people who suffer from Hepatitis C. Along with, some drug companies are now covering the entire cost of the medications depending on the person’s income level. Another development that has recently emerged is financial counselors. Watson explains that, “once a person tests positive for Hepatitis C they will be notified, control measures will be discussed and the nurse will refer them out to a financial counselor to figure out which route is best for them to get treatment” (personal communication, February 27, 2017). Surry County Health and Nutrition Center work closely with the financial counselors through Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center to get these

The average annual cost for a brand name prescription drug in 2013 was $2,960. Alternatively, the average annual cost for specialty prescription drugs was $53,384. The specialty prescription drugs makes up 1.2% of all prescriptions, but they account for 18% of total money spent on prescription drugs on a yearly basis. Two examples of the extremely high costs for prescription drugs are Gilead Sciences and Bristol-Myers Squibbs. Gilead Sciences hepatitis c treatment Harvoni, a popular hepatitis treatment because it treats the most common genotype of hepatitis c, Costs $1,125 per pill. Harvoni is largely effective and is typically taken in a 12 week course, except for those that liver cirrhosis that are recommended to take the prescription drug for 24 weeks. Setting those that take the prescription drug for 12 weeks $94,500 back and those that take the prescription drug for 24 weeks $189,000 back. Additionally, Bristol-Myers Squibb's, Opdivo is a revolutionary immunotherapie that works by first suppressing cancer's ability to hide from the immune system, then kicking the immune system into an accelerated state to eliminate

Why are prescription medications so expensive in the United States? This is a fair question considering citizens of other countries pay much less for their medications than those in the US. For example, Jevtana, a medication used to treat prostate cancer costs $8,659 for 30 mg through Medicare. However, across the border in Ontario, the same dose costs $4,618 [5]. In another well publicized case, the price of Daraprim, an antifungal medication, was raised from $13.50 a pill to $750 a pill after being acquired by Turing Pharmaceuticals. That is a 5,000% price hike. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that pharmaceuticals are a big business in the US. Yet the question remains. Why are they so expensive?

Effective medication helps with the rising cost of health care. When medication is working, the patient’s visits to the hospital and doctor’s office will decrease. The cost of new medication is exceeding the buyer’s ability to pay for it, and pharmaceutical companies begin to lose money when the drug loses its patent. However, generic drugs become available for the medication, and patients can afford to purchase it to treat their disease or condition. National discussions with providers, payers, and health policy makers have seriously considered various solutions for mitigating drug cost, with the ultimate goal of allowing patients to access appropriate and necessary treatments (Li & Shane, 2017). The government no longer has to decide who gets the medication, and certain therapies because of cost. Insurance companies will now cover the drug in its generic form. On the other hand, the pharmaceutical companies can no longer profit from and generic drug, and are forced to make new and improved drugs for profit. The patient will benefit by getting the medication that is needed to have a better quality of

Drug cost is very high even if the patient chooses to a generic version of the medication. Although there are similar drugs available to treat the same ailment one would think it would keep the cost low to minimize the competition that has no bearing on pricing medicine. According to Kesselheim, Avorn, & Sarpatwari, (2016), between 2013 and 2015, the cost of prescription drugs in the United States increased approximately 20% exceeding the forecasted amount of 11%. The cost of prescription drugs is undeniably one of the key components that adds to the cost of healthcare. Biologic drugs such as Humira can cost the insurance companies thousands of dollars and still leave the patient to contribute a high portion of the cost. Individuals who

Many people don’t understand how dangerous Hepatitis C is because it is not commonly known about as much as Hepatitis A or B. This disease is however very serious. Although frequently asymptomatic in time the virus can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. Symptoms of HCV are jaundice (yellowing of the eyes), stomach pain, nausea and fatigue. Treatment options for the disease, if caught early enough is a combination of medications or depending on the degree of damage, a liver transplant. ”For some people, hepatitis C is a short-term illness but for 70%-85% of people who become infected with

Sovaldi also known as Sofosbuvir is one of the latest anti- HCV drug in the market (Ollove, 2014). The drug has already been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) having gone through years of clinical trials. The drug’s claim to fame other than its high cost ($84,000 for 12 weeks of treatment or $1000 for one pill) is that it boasts of shorter treatment duration of about 3 months

“There are two stages of hepatitis C. The acute (early) phase occurs soon after infection. Most people have no symptoms at this stage. Roughly 50% - 80% of individuals infected go on to develop a chronic infection.”(Bhupinder,para.3) As of now, there might be no indications for a considerable length of time. In the end, if left untreated, many people with incessant hepatitis C will end up noticeably symptomatic with liver cancer.

Hepatitis C is an inflammatory condition of the liver that ultimately results in cirrhosis consequently leading up to liver cell cancer due to a blood-borne virus. The infection is usually asymptomatic showing how those who are infected with Hepatitis C are unaware of its presence until the condition has become potentially life-threatening. The main ways in which the virus is transmitted is from the transfusion of unscreened blood, improper sterilization of invasive medical devices used in surgery and other internal examinations of the patient and the reuse of syringes by health care providers for common ailments or by narcotic users.

Hepatitis C Virus, HCV, means inflammation of the liver. Worldwide, this blood-borne pathogen newly infects over 3 million people each year and can seem endemic in some parts of the world. Yet, we have come a remarkable way since HCV was only identified in 1989. The extent in our understanding has brought several people at ease, but we still have much more to learn. Today, 4 million people in the United States are living with HCV and 170 million around the globe. There is only a small portion of people who are infected that develop serious complications, the bigger portion who are afflicted with this disease is giving us many challenges in the medical field. Newly