Mixed feelings about Novartis

[stopbush]

I have suffered with psoriasis since age 19. I tried everything. Some therapies would achieve limited results, but those results didn’t last.

A doctor put me on Humera a few years ago. I’d say it cleared me up around 80%, but eventually, the drug stopped working.

Two years ago, my derma had me try Cosentyx, which is made by Novartis. I did a 300mg injection once a week for 5 weeks, then once a month. I have been 100% clear since week 5 of starting the treatment. No psoriasis anywhere.

Cosentyx is very expensive, around $2500 a month. But Novartis put me in contact with their Foundation, who approved me for their program based on income and health plan. Under their plan, I have to date paid $0 for my Cosentyx. That’s right, $0.

I now have Blue Shield insurance thru a new job. Under my new plan, my Cosentyx will cost me $250 per month. But Novartis has a “secondary insurance” plan that will cost me $0. The plan pays up to $16,000 a year in copays for Cosentyx. That means they will easily cover my $250-a-month copay for Cosentyx under Blue Shield.

So mixed feelings that a company whose medication has worked so well for me (after living with psoriasis for over 40 years) and that has helped me get this treatment at no cost is now in the news because their upper management assholes decided it was OK to suck the tRump/Cohen dick.

[mercuryblues]

1. I have tried to figure out

what Novartis had on the line to pay 1.2 million dollars for. They have settled many lawsuits for millions to 100's of millions of dollars each.

The best I could find is a suit where they are being sued for a 3rd party generic med harming pregnant women. The case is should they be held responsible for damages? Should they issue warnings on generic mnf of their drugs?

I wouldn't worry too much as Novartis, if charged with trying to bribe trump will most likely settle or plea with a fine.

[womanofthehills]

2. If you do a search for "Novartis scandals "

Many, many scandals - corruption and bribery in Greece; China bribery scandal; Japan temporarily suspended Norvartis after a series of trial data scandals; Korean Scandal; etc. Bribery seems to be their thing. Up until 2015, Novartis made half of US flu vaccines - an unsettling thought. They sold their flu vaccine business for millions to Seqirus.

US DOJ Expands Investigation Into Phony Novartis Speaking Events

March 29, 2016 by Larry Husten 1 Comment

— The government wants Novartis to turn over documents on 80,000 separate speaking events.

The US Department of Justice is seeking to greatly expand its investigation of Novartis “for engaging in a nationwide kickback scheme, spanning 10 years, to induce doctors to write prescriptions for certain of its cardiovascular (‘CV’) drugs.”
http://www.cardiobrief.org/2016/03/29/us-doj-expands-investigation-into-phony-novartis-speaking-events/

[Victor_c3]

3. I watched a documentary that explains what you're talking about

On Netflix, there is a documentary series called "Dirty Money". One of the episodes cover Novartis and makes reference to the foundations that pay for people who don't have insurance to get the medication.

Basically, they want people to not get too pissed off about them jacking up the prices of their medications.

Novartis made its money through acquiring other smaller drug companies, slashing costs and R&D dollars, and selectively jacking up the prices of certain drugs to make profit and raise its stock value. It's a totally unsustainable method to grow profits, but they don't care. The CEOs are going to cash-out before the whole thing collapses and destroys jobs and lives of their employees.

People with health insurance only ever pay the $10 or $30 co-pay or whatever it is in your specific health insurance plan. It doesn't matter how much the drug costs, that’s all you are going to see come out of your wallet as a consumer. What Novartis did was select certain drugs and jack the price from (I'm making up number for the sake of explanation) $2 a pill to $50 pill for no good reason other than to make more profit. So instead of your insurance paying $60 a month for your medication, it now pays $1,500 a month for the same medication. Your insurance is the one getting screwed. Except insurance companies don't get screwed - the raise the premiums for everyone to cover the increase costs they bare. As roughly 10% of all healthcare costs can be attributed to medications (it was 3.1% in 2012), overall the price averaged out across all consumers with insurance for the astronomical price increase of a medication is negligible and essentially goes unnoticed. So we, as Americans with health insurance, are getting screwed in a sneaky-kind-of way by Novartis solely for the sake of putting more money in their pocket.
The pharmaceutical costs assistance programs are there to keep people without health insurance quiet and to keep them from complaining too loudly.

[BSdetect]

4. And how keen are they to actually cure diseases? Unless they can make huge profits on that idea.

[TheBlackAdder]

5. NSAIDs can cause autoimmune issues which lead to or exacerbate multiple skin disorders.

Some, like Lichen Planus, might take over a year to go away once one stops taking NDAIDs.

Just one dose in that period could trigger an autoimmune relapse.

[stopbush]

6. I don't take NSAIDS.

[TheBlackAdder]

7. Were you in the hospital or did you undergo a prolonged surgery recovery more than one week at 18?

[stopbush]

9. No. Why?

[NCTraveler]

8. I'm glad you found something that works for you.

Truly.