Menally-Ill
02-17-2003, 04:32 PM
In Mid-January, 2003, as a result of some lawsuits that are breaking up the monoply held by ONE pharmaceutical company (Schering-Plough) on the drugs that treat Hep C, ROCHE PHARMACEUTICALS have rolled back the prices of these drugs substantially.
Three years ago, in Canada, the drugs needed to treat Hep C cost us $27,000 A YEAR.
Back then, getting a Hep C diagnosis meant you LOST everything you owned; houses, cars, everything. Then you cleaned out your pension funds, and savings. Then when you were bankrupt, you MIGHT find out it was all for nought, because you were a "non-responder". That is, the drugs didn't work for you!
Now Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals is waging lawsuits also, for the right to make generic, inexpensive versions of the drugs.
Hopefully, the costs ofthese drugs will be nor more than say, insulin is for diabetics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roche Dramatically Reduces Cost of Combination Therapy for Millions of Americans
Chronically Infected with Hepatitis C
Copegus, used in combination with Pegasys, rolls ribavirin cost per milligram
back 43 percent to 1998 price
NUTLEY, N.J., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche today announced that Copegus(TM)
(ribavirin, USP), the medication used in combination with Pegasys(R)
(peginterferon alfa-2a) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, is being
introduced with a list price or wholesale acquisition cost that is 43 percent
less per milligram than the other available brand of ribavirin. Copegus will be
available in U.S. pharmacies beginning the week of January 13. The list price or
wholesale acquisition cost for Copegus is $5.06 per 200mg tablet.
Pegasys and Copegus combination therapy was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (F.D.A.) on December 3, 2002, for adults who have compensated
liver disease and have not previously been treated with interferon alpha. An
estimated 2.7 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis C.
"Roche is very proud of the steps the company has taken to drastically reduce
the cost of combination therapy for the millions of Americans chronically
infected with hepatitis C," said George B. Abercrombie, Roche President and
Chief Executive Officer. "With Pegasys and Copegus, physicians and patients can
have confidence knowing that this therapy is backed by an unprecedented
development program -- the most extensive ever conducted in hepatitis C."
A Visible Difference in Price
Roche has rolled back the list price or wholesale acquisition cost of Copegus to
that of branded ribavirin in August 1998.* For patients prescribed 1200mg of
ribavirin per day, there is a list price or wholesale acquisition cost savings
with Copegus of approximately $7,600 for 48 weeks of therapy.
Backed By Most Extensive Development Program
Pegasys is backed by the most extensive development program ever undertaken in
hepatitis C. As part of its clinical development program, Roche conducted five
pivotal studies (three for the Pegasys monotherapy indication and two for the
Pegasys and Copegus combination therapy indication). Included was a study to
evaluate Pegasys monotherapy in patients with cirrhosis and a study to evaluate
shorter durations of therapy and lower doses of Copegus for patients with
certain genotypes (strains) of the hepatitis C virus. As a result of the
combination therapy study, the following dosing regimens are recommended for
Pegasys and Copegus combination therapy:
* Genotype 1 and 4: 48 week duration with 180mcg Pegasys weekly and
1000 - 1200mg of Copegus daily
* Genotype 2 and 3: 24 week duration with 180mcg Pegasys weekly and
800mg Copegus daily
Pegasys is available as a premixed solution and administered as a subcutaneous
injection once a week. Copegus is available as a 200mg tablet, and is
administered orally two times a day as a split dose.
For more information on the Roche
pharmaceuticals business in the United States, visit the company's website at:
http://www.rocheusa.com.
* In August 1998, branded ribavirin (Rebetol) was only available in
combination with Intron A, packaged as Rebetron. To extrapolate the
August 1998 price of branded ribavirin, the following calculation was
performed on a comparable 1200mg pack: 1998 Rebetron price ($1,200 for
4 weeks of treatment with 1200mg daily ribavirin and Intron A 3 times
per week) minus the 1998 Intron A price ($349.30 for 4 weeks of
treatment with Intron A 3 times per week) = $850.70 for 4 weeks of
treatment with 1200mg per day of branded ribavirin. Pricing is based on
published wholesale acquisition costs by First Data Bank in August 1998.
The current price of Rebetol was obtained from First Data Bank on
January 6, 2003.
* The complete package inserts for Pegasys and Copegus are available at
http://www.pegasys.com, or by calling 1-877-PEGASYS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All My Love,
Menolly
Three years ago, in Canada, the drugs needed to treat Hep C cost us $27,000 A YEAR.
Back then, getting a Hep C diagnosis meant you LOST everything you owned; houses, cars, everything. Then you cleaned out your pension funds, and savings. Then when you were bankrupt, you MIGHT find out it was all for nought, because you were a "non-responder". That is, the drugs didn't work for you!
Now Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals is waging lawsuits also, for the right to make generic, inexpensive versions of the drugs.
Hopefully, the costs ofthese drugs will be nor more than say, insulin is for diabetics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roche Dramatically Reduces Cost of Combination Therapy for Millions of Americans
Chronically Infected with Hepatitis C
Copegus, used in combination with Pegasys, rolls ribavirin cost per milligram
back 43 percent to 1998 price
NUTLEY, N.J., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche today announced that Copegus(TM)
(ribavirin, USP), the medication used in combination with Pegasys(R)
(peginterferon alfa-2a) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, is being
introduced with a list price or wholesale acquisition cost that is 43 percent
less per milligram than the other available brand of ribavirin. Copegus will be
available in U.S. pharmacies beginning the week of January 13. The list price or
wholesale acquisition cost for Copegus is $5.06 per 200mg tablet.
Pegasys and Copegus combination therapy was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (F.D.A.) on December 3, 2002, for adults who have compensated
liver disease and have not previously been treated with interferon alpha. An
estimated 2.7 million Americans are chronically infected with hepatitis C.
"Roche is very proud of the steps the company has taken to drastically reduce
the cost of combination therapy for the millions of Americans chronically
infected with hepatitis C," said George B. Abercrombie, Roche President and
Chief Executive Officer. "With Pegasys and Copegus, physicians and patients can
have confidence knowing that this therapy is backed by an unprecedented
development program -- the most extensive ever conducted in hepatitis C."
A Visible Difference in Price
Roche has rolled back the list price or wholesale acquisition cost of Copegus to
that of branded ribavirin in August 1998.* For patients prescribed 1200mg of
ribavirin per day, there is a list price or wholesale acquisition cost savings
with Copegus of approximately $7,600 for 48 weeks of therapy.
Backed By Most Extensive Development Program
Pegasys is backed by the most extensive development program ever undertaken in
hepatitis C. As part of its clinical development program, Roche conducted five
pivotal studies (three for the Pegasys monotherapy indication and two for the
Pegasys and Copegus combination therapy indication). Included was a study to
evaluate Pegasys monotherapy in patients with cirrhosis and a study to evaluate
shorter durations of therapy and lower doses of Copegus for patients with
certain genotypes (strains) of the hepatitis C virus. As a result of the
combination therapy study, the following dosing regimens are recommended for
Pegasys and Copegus combination therapy:
* Genotype 1 and 4: 48 week duration with 180mcg Pegasys weekly and
1000 - 1200mg of Copegus daily
* Genotype 2 and 3: 24 week duration with 180mcg Pegasys weekly and
800mg Copegus daily
Pegasys is available as a premixed solution and administered as a subcutaneous
injection once a week. Copegus is available as a 200mg tablet, and is
administered orally two times a day as a split dose.
For more information on the Roche
pharmaceuticals business in the United States, visit the company's website at:
http://www.rocheusa.com.
* In August 1998, branded ribavirin (Rebetol) was only available in
combination with Intron A, packaged as Rebetron. To extrapolate the
August 1998 price of branded ribavirin, the following calculation was
performed on a comparable 1200mg pack: 1998 Rebetron price ($1,200 for
4 weeks of treatment with 1200mg daily ribavirin and Intron A 3 times
per week) minus the 1998 Intron A price ($349.30 for 4 weeks of
treatment with Intron A 3 times per week) = $850.70 for 4 weeks of
treatment with 1200mg per day of branded ribavirin. Pricing is based on
published wholesale acquisition costs by First Data Bank in August 1998.
The current price of Rebetol was obtained from First Data Bank on
January 6, 2003.
* The complete package inserts for Pegasys and Copegus are available at
http://www.pegasys.com, or by calling 1-877-PEGASYS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All My Love,
Menolly