
Hepatitis C drugs come under fire again
A new US Congressional report about the price of hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, along with a new class action lawsuit against Blue Cross Blue Shield involving Harvoni coverage, are the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the 2 drugs.
A new US Congressional
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An 18-month Senate investigation found that
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“The documents show it was always Gilead’s plan to max out revenue, and that accessibility and affordability were pretty much an afterthought," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who co-led the investigation with Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), in a news conference, The Washington Post reported.
Meanwhile, Blue Cross is being blasted in a new class action lawsuit filed in California for not covering Harvoni treatment for the “sickest” hepatitis C patients, said lead attorney Robert Gianelli with Gianelli & Morris, who represents the plaintiff.
“You have these groundbreaking drugs that cure hepatitis C and you have a lot of people who have this disease. However, the health plans are at a disagreement with the drug companies about what this is going to cost,” Gianelli told FormularyWatch.
In the case of Blue Cross, “Instead of covering people at all stages [of Hepatitis C], they drew a line so their bottom line would not be affected,” Gianelli said. According to the complaint, Blue Cross denied Harvoni for hepatitis C patients who have fibrosis scores below F3.
Other similar lawsuits have been filed against Blue Cross, including an August complaint alleging Blue Cross denied a 10-year hepatitis C patient’s Harvoni treatment.
The high cost of hepatitis C drugs is a problem that “is going to have to be dealt with,” Gianelli said. “However, it is not the problem of the consumer. It should never be shifted to them.”
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