Zepatier Genotype 1 and 4 Access Program

[Joe NM]

Zepatier just became the 'preferred' genotype 1 and 4 medication with one of the insurance companies in my state (this is the new 1-pill/once a day combination of elbasvir/grazoprevir from Merck). You DO have to get resistance testing before this can be prescribed, even if you've never been through a treatment, and sometimes you would need to take it for 16 weeks and/or with ribavirin, depending on lab results. Definitely would have to talk to a doctor to know if this would be a possibility for you, but nice to have another option (even if the resistance testing is going to be a pain and may complicate things). Hopefully this will make coverage easier, and may be a good option for some people who sadly were not cured by Harvoni, Viekira or Technivie. Also the first new HCV medication approved by FDA for people with severe kidney disease or on dialysis.

Also! Merck does have a program that can provide the medication for free if you don't have health insurance, or if insurance refuses to cover it--unlike Gilead, which will usually only provide Harvoni or Sovaldi if you have no insurance at all With most of these programs, you have to get an initial denial and an appeal denial before you can submit the application to the program, but I'd call the phone # on the web site with any questions (they also provide appeal examples, assistance, etc). I apologize but I only really know about the USA, not sure how this will shake out elsewhere! (but hopefully the $54,000 list price, though still insane, is less than the $84,000-$94,000 of current medications, and helps people access it more easily across the board)

Here's the link to the assistance program (there's also a copay coupon): http://www.merckaccessprogram-zepatier.com/hcp/

[Coach Mike]

Thanks.
That's great information.
Please consider posting that info on the Delphi forum shown in my signature. That definitely qualifies as "affordable".
CM

[Joe NM]

done   

[Coach Mike]

Thank You!
Everyone deserves a cure. One that doesn't leave them in debt for years. A cure that is not priced so high that people must sell their homes or be forced to work until they are 80.

Gilead spends $99.00 on advertising for every dollar it spends on research.
Something is wrong here.

The medicine is here, it should be available to all.
It doesn't matter how they get it.
CM

[Philadelphia]

The thing I love most of all about this new drug (apart from its efficacy) is its name. Every time I see it I think to myself "Viva Zepatier!"

I do love me some revolutionary zeal.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viva_Zapata!

[FutureThinker]

2016 is going to be the year!!!! Thanks for posting this fabulous news.  FT

[malou]

Thank you for posting this Joe, I have a family who has contacted me and has no insurance, I will be sure to forward this info to them.  ML

[Joe NM]

It can be so tough not having health insurance in the United States! There's a program that can provide Harvoni and Sovaldi, http://mysupportpath.com/, as well as Viekira Pak,https://www.viekira.com/,  and the company that makes Daklinza has a program as well, http://www.bmspaf.org/Pages/Home.aspx. For free case management service/help navigating this system, they could try https://hepatitisc.pafcareline.org/. I hope they can find help getting insurance if possible (I was without it for years when I was 'uninsurable', pre-Obamacare, and it was rough), or if not hopefully there's a local fund to help people or a sliding-scale clinic or free insurance enrollment navigators in the area, because you do have to see a doctor/get lab tests and a prescription...but I agree it's wonderful that the actual medications are available if you have no insurance!