Actual pic of the brain legions:
Posted on 02/13/2008 5:56:16 PM PST by balls
Thankyou for posting this. The person I know has yet to start with infusions, but it is nice to hear of such a breakthrough and such promise of an alternative mediation, for such a time that that person might have to resort to it.
Reporters are lazy.
The cost is approximately 2700 per infusion, retail.
It’s about 6k per infusion. I know since I have had both MS and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Fortunately, in 2006, I had a high dose cytoxan treatment along with multiple rituxan treatments that may have eliminated both the CLL and the MS. The main purpose was getting rid of the cancer, but a similar treatment has been successful in much more serious cases of MS than mine.
We’ll just have to wait and see but, the way I look at it, I’ll say I’m cured until told otherwise. The procedure was done at Johns Hopkins, which I feel is the best hospital anywhere. I truly hope that using Rituxan as a treatment is successful for MS as it would beat the once a week Avonex shots I used to have to take.
Exactly why they cost as much as they do.
Not that they wouldn’t be high to begin with, but they are higher because of two things.
1. Lawyers.
2. Foreign theft of patents, thus US companies can only get a profit from US patients.
Does it actually eliminate the condition or is it a supression treatment you have to keep taking forever?
I hope this works for her! It would be wonderful if they could wipe out MS altogether.
B-Cell Depletion with Rituximab in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis
It costs 6,000 some because you had it done at Hopkins.
The way the gov’t gets their mits involved in Medicine, (its a long story if you want me to bore the heck out of you, if you were to be able to get it at a local infusion center), it would cost you what your pharmacy plan co pay is for any specialty drug, which could be as low as 20 bucks, and the cost of the infusion procedure by a nurse practitioner in an Oncology clinic’s co pay.
Bill from Penn for my infusions of Tysabri: 8,670.00
Bill from Oncololgist 0, Co pay for insurance 20.00.
Gov’t sucks. Capitalism rocks.
Actual pic of the brain legions:
Although I shudder at the mere thought of both Teddy and Obambi, Democrats do in general have a better record on federal funding of intially-nonprofitable biomedical research that has made the biotech industry possible.
No offense, but I’d like to see some links re cures and treatments that have been discovered with government funding.
But you knew that.
You’re not in research are you? The entire field of molecular and cellular biology was born through publically funded research. There are no two ways about it. Monoclonal antibody technology itself, of which Rituximab is but one tiny example, arose via tax-funded research.
HAIL, CEREBRUM!
Avonex is about $7K per year total I think. My FIL takes it once a week. I might be way off.
Those evil American pharmaceutical companies are at it again.
The development of the drug itself and its application for use in human beings was done with private investment.
The entire field of melecular and cellular biology was born throurgh publiclly funded research? That’s a pretty broad statement.
Tell me where to find this evidence and I will eat crow.
Before MS did its thing, I was indeed a Clinical Research Scientist in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Biologics.
If these names ring a bell, you’ll also probably know that the labs run by their owners were all heavily government subsidized:
George Beadle, Edward Tatum, Oswald Avery, Joshua Lederberg, Sydney Brenner, Barbara McClintock, James Watson, Francis Crick, Marshall Nirenberg.
And everything that they are famous for happened long before the biotech industry ever existed and made it all possible.
My wife was diagnosed with MS back in 1996, she can barely get up to go to work but refuses to quit.She tried those outrageously expensive shots, its a proven fact I have found about the medical field, the more you are afflicted with certain diseases the more ways they have to find a way to make big bucks off of you.
Three months ago I went on workmans comp with a crushed finger, WC payed me a very sizable weekly check but I kept getting solicitations from all kinds of sources asking me for medical records, my personal info and repeat visits to doctors that did little except take a cursory look and send in a bill.
Our whole medical system is rotten with overbilling, overpriced drugs and rampant abuse of health insurance.
Screw any nationwide health plan, I would rather go to another country.
Although government heavily subsidizes a lot of research, and a lot of other things, That research is basic and does not result in the government owning the biologic treatments or developing them, or providing them to world.
The folks doing basic research are doing remarkable work with and without government subsidies,and that is wonderful and laudable, and of course valuable, but it does not do the development, clinical development plans, pre clinical studies, clinical studies or manufacture, consistency and potency studies for the distribution of vaccines, biologics or drugs. Thank God. Private industry does.
Remember also, that subsidies and grants are only part of the funding for basic research, not the entire kettle of fish.
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