News this Hepatitis C New Zealand blog 31 October 2008
All you budding pharmaceutical magnates wanting to make a dollar or two out of hepatitis C
should be all over this one……
15 October 2008
Dear Supplier
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS – SUPPLY OF PEGYLATED INTERFERON AND RIBAVIRIN
PHARMAC invites proposals for the supply of pegylated interferon and ribavirin in New Zealand
The document is actually quite informative
http://www.pharmac.govt.nz/2008/10/15/2008-10-15%20-%20Pegylated%20interferon%20RFP%20document.pdf
a Price list of what combination therapy costs in New Zealand.
Price list of what combination therapy
Strength and presentation Price and subsidy
Inj 50 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 112 $1080.40
Inj 50 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 84 $976.80
Inj 80 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 140 $1583.60
Inj 80 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 168 $1687.20
Inj 80 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 84 $1376.40
Inj 100 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 112 $1746.40
Inj 100 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 84 $1642.80
Inj 120 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 140 $2116.40
Inj 120 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 84 $1909.20
Inj 150 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 140 $2516.00
Inj 150 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 168 $2619.60
Inj 150 mcg x 4 with ribavirin cap 200 mg x 84 $ 2308.80
Information includes How much PEGYLATED INTERFERON AND RIBAVIRIN has been supplied in previous years.
How much they want to buy next year, Looks like the big increase in access to treatment is to be delayed somewhat.
Interested SUPPLY OF PEGYLATED INTERFERON AND RIBAVIRIN Contact Greg Williams at PHARMAC by telephone (04) 916-7524 or email greg.williams@pharmac.govt.nz.
No wonder my local MP Pete Hodgson now refuses to answer questions about his hollow promises to the 50,000 New Zealanders with Hepatitis C. Sure hasn’t increased access in his electorate in 2009…..
“Hon Pete Hodgson
Minister of Health 5 December 2006 Media Statement In addition, $5 million per year
will be invested to improve access to, and uptake of, hepatitis C treatment services.”
Waiting to be treated for your genotype three with Pegylated Interferon. Well Pharmac has that under consideration since May 2007. I would not hold my breath waiting for that approval.
The 6th Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference is over now and thanks for the comment on the last blog post from Paul
“Hi, yes, it is pretty important for those of us who went to the conference to report back. We plan to run some stuff in our magazine, The Hep C Review, but because current edition is just about to go to print, this won’t happen until the next edition (Mar 2009). If I hear of anything beforehand, I will post it on the Australasian forum http://www.hepcaustralasia.org
Regards, Paul, Hep C Council NSW (www.hepatitisc.org.au) “
My self , I heard the conference was full of professionals and a few peers. and well catered apparently food was a high point of conference who says there are no free lunch’s ?
There is still no content any where online, guess the 400 hundred attendees are not the sharing kind ? Or maybe they just haven’t heard about the new fangled inter net thing.
Some good news, The Hepatitis C Resource Centre Auckland , Te Ika a Maui www.hepc.org.nz site has been updated and now has forums worth a check out.
Other news here in New Zealand.
The labour minister of health Hon David Cunliffe scuttled off to his election.
Hon David Cunliffe has decided the 50,000 New Zealanders with hep C don’t need to know any more facts and figures as he is now ignoring official information act request’s. Meanwhile the ombudsmen is delaying her decision, on his refusal to release public information on the epidemic and the govts response ……more ……………. after the election….. ????
Hon David Cunliffe obviously hasn’t learn t any thing from the Prime minister, Helen “bad blood” Clark
Her inaction when she was minister of health failing to protect the blood supply
Helen Clark, bad blood update Monday, 07 April 2008 NZPA “So far, 486 victims have applied for one-off payments and the Government has paid out $25.5m. Most of the affected haemophiliacs — about 155 — have received packages from $43,200 to $69,600, enabling many to start a chemotherapy-type drug course for hepatitis C.”
“Testing for hepatitis C became feasible in February 1990, however, New Zealand did not introduce nationwide screening of blood donations for hepatitis C until 27 July 1992.”
New Zealand was the second to last country in the developed world to introduce blood screening measures for hepatitis C. As a result, countless people with haemophilia were infected and re-infected with the potentially deadly hepatitis C virus by the treatment products they depend on to enable their bodies to stop bleeding . The Haemophilia Foundation of New Zealand Inc. (HFNZ) NZF web site
Thanks for that Hon Helen Clark and Hon Simon Upton.
Hon David Cunliffe is following in their foot steps and as minister of health has been creating an even bigger mess, by failing to deal with the epidemic and treating New Zealand community as a giant test tube in which to grow hepatitis C, his and the New Zealand Ministry of Health demonstrate ongoing incompetence in dealing with a preventable and treatable disease.
They need to wake up and deal with it now. Identify those at risk, test them, treat them and save the country millions if not billions of dollars of future health costs.
“will cost the country dearly in coming years. He says there will be a multiplier effect in terms of increased health costs through extra GP visits, diagnostic tests, hospital outpatient follow-up, and inpatient admissions for liver cirrhosis and liver transplants.”
Ian Sheerin National Addiction Centre Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences University of Otago
How many more will have to suffer ?…..
Best of Health
www.hcv.org.nz
