A 54 year old white male came in for a check up post motor vehicle accident (MVA) to claim for insurance or something. Anyway, Doctor asked when did the patient have his last regular check up. The patient apparently had never seen a doctor so he had a whole battery of blood tests and physical.
After his follow up, the blood tests showed some interesting results. His liver enzyme was a little elevated. His liver profile showed that he had hepatitis c. Upon a follow up appointment, the ultrasound showed that he had hepatoma and showed some significant symptoms of liver cancer(jaundice, yellow skin, etc.)
If it was back in 2000s, there would be limited treatment options, and for many a death sentence. However, starting this decade Gilead Sciences developed a drug called ledipasvir/sofosbuvir--its trade name being Harvoni. It's an absolutely revolutionary treatment and can successfully treat hepatitis c! Obviously, if you have a miracle drug that can essentially cure a life threatening disease, it will not come cheap. The total cost of a three month treatment(it is taken orally and the length of the treatment depends on the severity of the disease.) is $100,000. But if its worth your life, even at $100k, the price is right...
Very interesting info,never knew such treatment was there,but the treatment cost is very though agree our life is priceless
ReplyDeleteGilead Sciences' ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, or its trade name Harvoni, is truly an evidence of how medical advances are present! Even if the product is that expensive, one wouldn't hesitate to pay the high cost just to be cured from the disease because you only live once.
ReplyDeleteWhat a breakthrough...Harvoni is heaven-sent even! I just wish that such treatment can be covered by insurance so that a lot of Hepatitis C sufferers could really benefit from it.
ReplyDeleteThough many might think that Harvoni will hurt their pockets, I personally think that the $100,000 threshold for the intake of this medicine for the specific period is nothing compared to the possibilities of your life being saved by it.
ReplyDeleteDespite the price might being right, regarding the price of a human life, I think that for the biggest part of the people in the planet, it's absolutely impossible to afford such an ammount of money to be treated, unless they will get some support, from the government or any other organization. That's just my opinion!
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe it took an accident for the man to finally go to the doctor. He should be glad it's only hepatitis instead of end stage cancer. As for the money, I would try any and everything to get that treatment. There's no price tag on your life.
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ReplyDeleteIt is really important for all of us to have a regular health check up, especially, when we just had an accident. May it be serious or not. In this case, the man is still lucky despite the condition he has because it still has a cure. No matter how expensive the treatment is, it is all worth it if it can prolong his life or totally cure him.
ReplyDeleteThat's a bargain if it cures hepatitis. Does medicaid cover the cost
ReplyDeleteI love modern medicine. How all these diseases can be treated so much better than even a few years ago is incredible.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of prolonging lives, there is much to be thankful for in modern medicine. The drugs and treatment they develop to fight life-threatening diseases are nothing short of amazing. However, it is also incumbent about people to take care of their health, and to at least be seen by a medical professional just to rule out disease or catch one at its early stages. That way, they won't have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for treatment when it could have been prevented earlier.
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