Islamabad- About 10000 injections developed by Punjab University (PU) for treatment of Hepatitis-C have gone redundant, due to negligence of provincial and federal governments.
The government has shifted all the burden of this scam to the shoulders of former PPP led government. PU medical experts had developed 100000 injections for cure of Hepatitis-C at the cost of Rs 7 million, but these have gone time barred while lying in stores, due to non-granting of permission by ministry of health and regulation for conducting laboratory test.
PU Molecular Biology department worked out plan to develop cheap Interferon injection for treatment of Hepatitis C and funds were also provided to the experts of the respective department. The said injection was developed within the span of 5 years time. The permission was sought from federal ministry for health and regulation for laboratory test of these injections. This application was kept unattended in Islamabad secretariat, for two years. These 100000 injections which were prepared for poor patients were wasted, for want of permission by the then minister of health Ejaz Jakhrani and secretary health Khushnood Lashari.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Tazo tea luminary Steven Smith died of liver cancer caused by hepatitis C, a hidden epidemic
After Tazo co-founder Steven Smith died at 65 on March 23, an article on his exceptional life as a serial entrepreneur and whimsical tea visionary attracted more than 100,000 clicks on oregonlive.com -- a lot for a news obituary.
But some readers wrote to The Oregonian with questions. They wanted to know the cause of death. They asked why Smith, still bubbling with energy and ideas, died so relatively young.
On Monday, Smith's widow, Kim DeMent -- a remarkable woman in her own right, who runs Steven Smith Teamaker, dances with BodyVox and writes lyrically -- explained why. The answer should concern baby boomers and others, because it involves a little-known epidemic that could take many more lives at any age without simple precautions.
Smith died from complications of liver cancer.
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But some readers wrote to The Oregonian with questions. They wanted to know the cause of death. They asked why Smith, still bubbling with energy and ideas, died so relatively young.
On Monday, Smith's widow, Kim DeMent -- a remarkable woman in her own right, who runs Steven Smith Teamaker, dances with BodyVox and writes lyrically -- explained why. The answer should concern baby boomers and others, because it involves a little-known epidemic that could take many more lives at any age without simple precautions.
Smith died from complications of liver cancer.
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Canada: Ontario decision to cover costly hepatitis C drug a lifesaver, doctor says
Ottawa liver specialist Dr. Curtis Cooper is calling Ontario’s decision to pay for new treatments that can cure hepatitis C a “landmark event” that will change the lives of thousands of people with the disease.
Cooper, director of The Ottawa Hospital and Regional Hepatitis Program, sees thousands of hepatitis C patients, many of whom will benefit from the new drug therapy now that it is covered by the province.
“This is going to mean the difference between health or illness and death,” for many patients, he said.
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Cooper, director of The Ottawa Hospital and Regional Hepatitis Program, sees thousands of hepatitis C patients, many of whom will benefit from the new drug therapy now that it is covered by the province.
“This is going to mean the difference between health or illness and death,” for many patients, he said.
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Ireland: UP to 80 seriously ill Hepatitis C patients have cleared virus from their blood
New treatment was given to the patients after doctors warned they were not responding to other drugs.
The treatment, which costs around €45,000 to €55,000 per patient was given to the patients after doctors warned they were not responding to other drugs.
Dr Suzanne Norris, a gastroenterologist at St James's Hospital in Dublin, said the patients will continue to be monitored over the coming months to determine their response.
Earlier this year Health Minister Leo Varadkar said a programme was being put in place to provide early access to the powerful new direct-acting anti-viral drugs for Hepatitis C patients with the greatest clinical need, due to the advanced nature of their condition.
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Monday, March 30, 2015
Jackson County, IN: ‘There is a significant increase in hepatitis C’
As a result of increased HIV testing in southeastern Indiana due to the large outbreak of the viral disease linked to injectable drug use, health officials in Jackson County say there is a significant increase in hepatitis C being reported in the county. In fact, more than 50 cases of the disease are currently being investigated, approximately 10 times the number of cases reported in a month.
The Seymour Tribune reports: The increase is being attributed to the ongoing HIV outbreak in southeast Indiana, centered in nearby Scott County. That health emergency has caused many people to seek free HIV testing which has led to more Hepatitis C being diagnosed too, said Lin Montgomery, public health coordinator with the Jackson County Health Department.
On Thursday, Indiana Governor Mike Pence declared a public health disaster emergency for Scott County.
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The Seymour Tribune reports: The increase is being attributed to the ongoing HIV outbreak in southeast Indiana, centered in nearby Scott County. That health emergency has caused many people to seek free HIV testing which has led to more Hepatitis C being diagnosed too, said Lin Montgomery, public health coordinator with the Jackson County Health Department.
On Thursday, Indiana Governor Mike Pence declared a public health disaster emergency for Scott County.
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New Hepatitis C treatments cost-effective, but only for selected patients, study shows
A study led by Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers demonstrates that while new therapies to treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are highly effective, they are cost-effective and provide the greatest value in specific groups of HCV-infected patients. The findings of the study, led by Benjamin P. Linas, MD, MPH, from BMC's section of infectious diseases and the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study focused on the combination of sofosbuvir and ribavirin for treatment of HCV genotypes 2 and 3, which account for approximately one quarter of all HCV cases in the United States. These medications were the first all oral combination therapy approved for the treatment of HCV. While this medication regimen is effective in curing more than 90 percent of patients, the wholesale cost of sofosbuvir is approximately $85,000 per treatment course, which has strained insurance budgets and led to treatment restrictions.
Using a simulation model, Linas and colleagues projected outcomes, costs, and cost-effectiveness of sofosbuvir-based treatments for HCV genotype 2 or 3 infection in the US. They found that at these costs, sofosbuvir-based HCV therapy provides excellent economic value in genotype 2 or 3 infected patients who already have advanced liver disease. It also is cost-effective for patients who have already previously failed treatment with other drugs.
Explore further: Cost-effectiveness of immediate HCV Rx in early disease analyzed
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The study focused on the combination of sofosbuvir and ribavirin for treatment of HCV genotypes 2 and 3, which account for approximately one quarter of all HCV cases in the United States. These medications were the first all oral combination therapy approved for the treatment of HCV. While this medication regimen is effective in curing more than 90 percent of patients, the wholesale cost of sofosbuvir is approximately $85,000 per treatment course, which has strained insurance budgets and led to treatment restrictions.
Using a simulation model, Linas and colleagues projected outcomes, costs, and cost-effectiveness of sofosbuvir-based treatments for HCV genotype 2 or 3 infection in the US. They found that at these costs, sofosbuvir-based HCV therapy provides excellent economic value in genotype 2 or 3 infected patients who already have advanced liver disease. It also is cost-effective for patients who have already previously failed treatment with other drugs.
Explore further: Cost-effectiveness of immediate HCV Rx in early disease analyzed
Journal reference: Annals of Internal Medicine
Provided by Boston University Medical CenterRead more...
New hepatitis C drugs are costing Medicare billions
Medicare spent $4.5 billion last year on new, pricey medications that cure the liver disease hepatitis C — more than 15 times what it spent the year before on older treatments for the disease, previously undisclosed federal data shows.
The extraordinary outlays for these breakthrough drugs, which can cost $1,000 a day or more, will be borne largely by federal taxpayers, who pay for most of Medicare’s prescription drug program. But the expenditures will also mean higher deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket costs for many of the program’s 39 million seniors and disabled enrollees, who pay a smaller share of its cost, experts and federal officials said.
The spending dwarfs the approximately $286 million that the program, known as Part D, spent on earlier-generation hepatitis C drugs in 2013, said Sean Cavanaugh, director of Medicare and deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
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The extraordinary outlays for these breakthrough drugs, which can cost $1,000 a day or more, will be borne largely by federal taxpayers, who pay for most of Medicare’s prescription drug program. But the expenditures will also mean higher deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket costs for many of the program’s 39 million seniors and disabled enrollees, who pay a smaller share of its cost, experts and federal officials said.
The spending dwarfs the approximately $286 million that the program, known as Part D, spent on earlier-generation hepatitis C drugs in 2013, said Sean Cavanaugh, director of Medicare and deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
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