- Normal pills?
Then I learned that three years ago the American company Gilead registered the first tablet form of a drug that directly affects the RNA of the hepatitis C virus and prevents it from being copied. This drug is called sofosbuvir. Combinations of this drug with later new products from the DAA line - direct-acting antiviral drugs - are by far the most effective means of treating hepatitis C. The cure rate is 95-97%, with virtually no side effects, and in tablet form!
This was great news. The bad thing is that a course of treatment with the original drug cost somewhere at the price level of a five-room apartment with European-quality renovation. But we were lucky. Gilead has licensed 11 Indian companies to produce generic drugs for the needs of poorer countries. Therefore, it was possible to purchase an analogue of the original drugs for quite reasonable money. The problem was that generics were not officially supplied to Russia, since our country was not considered the poorest. It was necessary to contact authorized trading companies in India directly and place the order privately.
How to legally import unregistered medicine into Russia
Polina Naydenkova lawyer in the field of pharmacology and medicine
There are two legal ways to buy the drug abroad: simple and complex.
Downtime is when the patient himself brings it in his luggage for his treatment. This option cannot be implemented by power of attorney; only legal representatives - parents and guardians - can transport medications. Obviously, not every patient and does not always have such an opportunity - this is a disadvantage of this method. In addition, this method is only suitable for drugs registered in the Russian Federation - you can check the availability of registration through the State Register of Medicines. However, if the drug is a prescription drug, you will need a prescription from your doctor to transport it.
The difficult way is to import it under a special permit issued by the Russian Ministry of Health. Under this permit, medications can be transported not only in person, but also by post.
To obtain such permission, you need to submit a package of documents to the Russian Ministry of Health:
- Protocol of the consultation of a federal specialized medical organization or institution of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences or an institution of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation in which medical care is provided to a specific patient. This protocol must indicate the need to prescribe the drug for health reasons, and such a need for which the prescription of a drug registered in the Russian Federation is impossible. The protocol is signed by the chief physician of the institution.
- An appeal from the regional health authority about the need to import an unregistered drug, accompanied by a copy of the council’s conclusion.
- An electronic copy of the passport or birth certificate of the patient who is prescribed the drug, certified not by a notary, but certainly by the medical institution providing medical care.
- Application for obtaining permission to import into the territory of the Russian Federation an unregistered medicinal product necessary to provide medical care for the vital indications of a particular patient. The application form was approved by the Russian Ministry of Health.
All this - both on paper and at the same time in the form of an electronic document - is submitted to the address [email protected] and to the Russian Ministry of Health. The Russian Ministry of Health will review the documents and make a decision within one week. Such an application is not subject to state duty.
Violation of the rules for the import of drugs unregistered in the Russian Federation is subject to administrative and criminal liability. If a medicine is not registered in Russia, and there are no documents confirming the right of a specific individual to receive it, government agencies recognize it as falsified or of poor quality.
According to Art. 6.33 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, illegal import of unregistered medicines into the territory of the Russian Federation entails the imposition of an administrative fine on a citizen in the amount of 70,000 to 100,000 RUR.
If the state sees in the actions of an individual a sales goal - this depends on the size of the batch of imported drugs - liability is threatened in the form of imprisonment for a term of 3 to 5 years.
How much did hepatitis C treatment cost me?
Now, three years later, the situation with the treatment of hepatitis C in Russia has not changed. The state can only offer interferon therapy as free treatment programs. Generics of modern inhibitors cannot be purchased in pharmacies. The situation with the procurement of patented drugs is extremely confusing. Purchases of small quantities of expensive original drugs are periodically announced, but they are not available either in pharmacies or in programs.
This whole story with the treatment of hepatitis once again convinced me that something is wrong with the world order in general. A huge number of people do not have access to modern medicines only because large corporations decide who and how much to make money from. I also learned that we have many competent doctors, caring specialists who, in the face of this global injustice, help people literally survive. Now I'm used to searching for health-related information on the Internet. This helps, when communicating with a doctor personally, to understand who is in front of me: an expert or simply a “person with a profession” who is ossified in the dogmas of the times of obtaining a medical diploma.
Well, the main lesson, or rather a confirmation of well-known truths: you have to pay for everything and some things are better to prevent than to correct later.
I paid about 51,000 RUR for the treatment of hepatitis C
| Cost of drugs including delivery | RUR 44,400 |
| Control studies - qualitative PCR | 3250 R |
| Fibroscan examination | 2500 R |
| Bank commission for international transfer | 900 R |
How I learned about modern methods of treating hepatitis C
I would like to note that I went through all the tests and studies, as promised to the doctor, strictly. But everything that they did at the clinic - they took blood for biochemistry and performed an ultrasound - did not help in any way to assess how quickly my hepatitis was moving towards cirrhosis. Another safe and painless diagnostic method was fibroscan - ultrasound using a special device that determines the degree of fibrosis, that is, damage to liver tissue. If there is no access to a fibroscan, the only option left is a biopsy - a puncture in the liver with a special needle, which removes a piece of tissue for examination.
Fibroscan was found in a specialized gastroenterology center, and I went there. I paid about 2500 R and went through the research. I was diagnosed with the first, very initial stage of fibrosis. By luck, the result had to be taken from a local hepatologist. The young woman explained to me the essence of the research results and asked why I was not receiving treatment.
I immediately figured that they probably had their own paid program at the center. Well, I immediately briefly said everything I thought about interferon therapy. She wasn't embarrassed at all. I just asked why I don’t take normal pills.
What is low blood pressure anyway?
Blood pressure is the force with which blood pushes against the walls of the arteries. At the moment when the heart contracts, the pressure is highest - it is called upper, or systolic. In the interval between heartbeats, the pressure in the vessels drops - it is called lower, or diastolic.
Normal blood pressure ranges from 90/60 to 120/80 mmHg. The numbers 90 and 120 indicate systolic pressure, and 60 and 80 indicate diastolic pressure. If the readings are less than 90/60, the blood pressure is considered low. This condition is called hypotension.
How I was diagnosed
The local therapist immediately called an ambulance, which took me to the city infectious diseases hospital, to the ward with the same “fruits”. Then a blood test and diagnosis: viral hepatitis C.
I won’t say that the news about hepatitis shocked me. It just so happened: reckless youth in the dashing nineties. I couldn’t let the heroin wave pass me by - I got completely screwed. At that time, I had already had more than two years of “experience.” And although there was still money for a new syringe, the use of common utensils to prepare the potion for use occurred sporadically. Back then I couldn’t believe it was so dangerous. I still have no idea at what point I caught the virus. But if it’s through drugs, there’s no option.
