Over the past few years I have written about how Big Pharma controls various advocacy groups and medical professionals through its funding programs.
My focus has always been on Hepatitis C related groups because that is the world I live in but the same principles apply equally to other areas of pharmaceutical health issues, such as cancer.
For people who have not read my previous works I will give a short recap before moving onto the main story.
Big Pharma uses its vast financial power to control medical research hospitals, universities, advocacy groups and even governments by making substantial annual donations to these groups.
For example, the World Hepatitis Alliance receives almost 100% of its multi-million dollar annual budget from Big Pharma. Of course, this means that the WHA does not do what is best for people with Hepatitis C but what is best for its paymaster, Big Pharma.
The Pan Foundation: Big Pharma funded “charities”.
A couple of days back one of my Facebook friends posted a comment about applying for co-pay help through the registered “not for profit” called the PAN Foundation (Patient Access Network).
“Just saw on the Pan Foundation website that they are offering up to $7000 to assist with Hep C treatment but you have to have insurance and be under US 500% poverty level. It’s worth a try, also you have to be receiving treatment, says you can apply for this amount 2 years consecutively. I’m going to call them, I’ll let you all know what they say. Do any US people know about this?”
I have been hearing about the Pan Foundation (and other so-called charities) for a while.
Every now and then someone would join my Facebook group and start telling everyone to forget about doing generic treatment and go to one of these “charities” who will fund the insurance co-pay, often an amount of around $5,000 to $7,000.
Of course, the patient has to meet certain criteria, one of which is that they have to have health insurance.
I puzzled by these charities and could not figure out how that would work. I mean it seemed great that someone could get a grant to cover their co-pay; but why would they not help people who did not have health insurance?
And they get so much money from where?
The whole thing seemed weird because it meant that a person without insurance who needed $800 to buy generic Hepatitis C medicine could not get a grant but a person with insurance could get a $5,000+ grant to help buy the branded medication.
If a charity really wanted to help a sick person get cured from their disease then surely they would help everyone, not just people with insurance?
Questions arose in my mind! What was really going on here?
To read the rest of this blog and learn what Greg discovered, click here.
