Pharmaceutical companies have had a depraved reputation for their voracious schemes; but who suspected that some would take it to another whole dimension. Among the big players in the American pharmaceuticals industry is The Gilead Sciences; the company has long been driven by its ravenous insatiability. Like any other corporation with monopolistic tendencies, Gilead has led to numerous deaths and unnecessary suffering to patients of the dreaded Hepatitis C. Despite the so-called Obamacare being in place, it’s such a pity to see the very crucial and important public health programs stalling due to bankruptcy; it’s no surprise when you hear reports such as Gilead Sciences CEO being compensated a whopping $19 million.
Reports by the World Health Organization indicate that Hepatitis is one of the dreadful global health catastrophes. An unimaginable 150 million of the whole world’s population is estimated to be suffering from the dreadful disease. This disease is somewhat like a ticking time bomb due to its ability to develop into more mild forms if not treated; such are forms include liver cancer, liver failure, and liver cirrhosis. The annual deaths which are caused by the dreadful disease are shocking; a whopping 700,000 people lose their lives from this disease. The irony of it all is the fact that Hepatitis C can be easily treated in its early stages thus preventing its mild effects which result in death. The medication to curb Hepatitis C is prescribed for a duration of 12 weeks; guess what, that’s where the greedy pharmaceuticals such as Gilead Sciences come in handy to mint patients succumbing from this dreadful disease.
The vicious pharmaceutical company will out rightly lie to the world by proclaiming itself the savior of the numerous lives at stake. However, don’t be fooled by the wicked propaganda that is circulated by Gilead Sciences; the proclaim themselves as medical innovators developing overwhelming marketing strategies to program patients in abide to entice them into the vicious cycle of drug dependency. The mild disease has had a substantial number of patients succumbing from the disease; in America alone, roughly 3 million people are at stake while 80 million globally are infected with the same disease: do the math, this corporation can therefore be in position to mint money from patients by creating a barrier between the patients and the cure.
Having acquired possession of the vital patents on the drugs that cure Hepatitis C namely Harvoni and Solvadi, this pharmaceutical player can afford to monopolize the drugs and optimize on its possession. However, Gilead Sciences barely invented nor developed the drug, it just played a minor role in the approval process. Like most cunning corporations, Gilead Sciences purchased the rugs from developers five years ago. Having undergone a decade of developmental process and discovery, Gilead took the golden opportunity and purchased the drugs patent having foreseen its ability to use the drug to mint patient’s money.
Like most schemes that are crafted by big corporations, Gilead’s scheme involved the U.S. government funding the research for the two underlying names in the Gilead’s drugs. The Sofosbuvir is the scientific name of the medication; the drug was successful in all the stages from the discovery, development, and testing; all processes were facilitated by the U.S. government funds. The opportunistic investors also chipped in and got hold of some patent rights.
Gilead paid Pharmasett $11 billion since it knew extremely well that it was going to rip off the American individuals and rapidly recover this whole and a great deal more. Gilead reported that it would utilize its recently procured restraining infrastructure rights to charge an astounding $84,000 per treatment for Solvadi (and $96,000 for Harvoni, a somewhat diverse plan), even though the genuine creation expenses are evaluated to be some place around $68 - $136. Gilead's markup over expenses might be near 1,000-to-1, presumably a world record.
Despite the Obamacare being in place, it’s a big shame to see patients being ripped off a whopping $1,000 for drugs that cost $1 to manufacture; according to reports by Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, the mild disease will kill you if it goes for a long duration without being treated, however, drugs to cure the same are readily available.
At the retail level its amazingly expensive to purchase a pill for a whopping $1000, this is not only funny but unaffordable to many patients and guess what, it’s a matter of life and death. As a tradition that has been in place for a long time, the same health care programs that are supposed to help patients access this drugs at a reasonable price cooperate with the big pharma in minting money from patients; this renders patients helpless.
Several patients have expressed their deep disappointment in the treatment services that are overly cruel, the same services that were previously offered for $100 are going for $85,000 for the basic cure; while the additional services add a whopping $10,000. Among the patients suffering from Hepatitis C are the Veterans who have reported being turned away from the health care centers; they reported the humiliating statements such as comeback when you’re almost dead.
As reported by Dr. Sachs, the Gilead Sciences Company makes a $15 billion profit from their biggest client being the U.S. government. Like any other citizen who intends to make a change in this country, feel free to call your senator at this number: 202-224-3121 (U.S. Capitol switchboard) to demand the federal government allow price negotiations with big pharma.
