Hep C Treatment: How Much Profit and at What Expense

Went to see the doctor yesterday. He was very pleased to see that the trip to India had succeeded. I showed him the little jar of tablets and we marveled together that this little jar of tablets was worth $30,000.

Then a shadow passed across the doctor’s face as he shook his head “How can this little jar of tablets be worth so much money? Only because it holds the power of life and death. What kind of heart is in the man who makes the price so high that many will die because they can not afford the medication?”

Of course he was recalling again his experience in Africa where he saw thousands die for exactly that reason.

We again discussed the fact that the drug companies need to make profits for their investors: but how much profit and at what expense!

Anyway I have done that rave before so I will not go on with it again.

My doctor then wrote me a form so I could get a viral load test and also the liver enzyme test. I think I will take the test next week.

I also sent a text message to the nurse at the Hepatitis clinic to let her know I was back.Ha! I am not much on texting but I used my wife’s iphone. My fingers are too big and I kept getting beaten by the auto speller and accidentally pressing the send button instead of the delete button!!! It was a really garbled series of messages.

Anyway she phoned me back later in the day and I am think she thought I had gone mad. Once I had established my sanity we discussed what had happened and I ran through exactly what medication I had and the doses etc that the doctor in India had prescribed. She was happy with all of that and said everything was exactly right. 

Then she sighed and said wistfully... “I wish I had some jars of that medication in my clinic.” She is a very caring person and, of course, she was thinking of all the people who would benefit from having this medication but who could not access it through the health system and could not afford to buy it; In Australia.

Well this is my fourth day on the sofosbuvir and still no side effects other than I am not getting nose bleeds any more and my urine has gone back to its normal colour. Looking forward to seeing my viral load and enzyme levels next week.