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----- Original Message -----
From: Rob
Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 12:47 AM
Subject: [CMLAsiaPacific] Means test set for leukaemia drug in Hong
Kong Copyright 2005 South China Morning Post Ltd. South China Morning Post January 20, 2005 SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 1 LENGTH: 425 words HEADLINE: Means test set for leukaemia drug; Critics say the cutoff for eligibility to subsidies is unfair to some users of Glivec BYLINE: Patsy Moy BODY: Leukaemia patients will be subject to a means test before they can receive subsidies for an expensive first-line drug, the Hospital Authority said last night. Patients who are prescribed Glivec, but cannot afford it, will be subsidised by the Samaritan Fund. That means they will have to pass a financial assessment to become eligible. Glivec costs $ 16,000 to $ 20,000 a month per patient. The authority said: "Patients who can afford to pay will pay." The new arrangement will be in place today. The authority insisted it did not have a policy to heavily subsidise all first-line medications. On November 10, the authority announced it would provide Glivec to public hospital patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia and tumours found in the digestive tract. The decision was made after reviewing clinical studies, it said. The authority reached an agreement with the drug's manufacturer, Novartis Hong Kong, to subsidise patients, it said. Anthony Wong Yuen-chi, spokesman for a Glivec Concern Group, said new patients who failed the means test would have to pay 30 per cent more for Glivec - $ 160 a tablet instead of $ 122. He was told that information by senior officials from the authority on Tuesday night, he said. Patients who started taking the drug before today will continue to pay $ 122 a tablet. More than 100 patients are now on the drug. "This is unfair for new patients, as the drug will be charged at two prices, " Mr Wong said. The spokesman warned that the cash-strapped authority would seek to charge the market price for other expensive first-line drugs. He estimated at least half the patients would fail the means test. To qualify, a household of two must have a monthly income of less than $ 12,000; and a household of three, $ 16,000, according to the authority. Legislator Kwok Ka-ki, also the deputy chairman of the health services panel, blamed the authority for giving patients "false hopes" by hiding details of the subsidy plan. "We understand the cash-strapped authority is facing a financial hardship. However, it should have a more prudent financial arrangement, such as charging patients the full cost for cheap and low-risk drugs. "But the authority should subsidise people on the expensive drugs , which are unaffordable to even many middle-class families," Dr Kwok said. Ho Hei-wah, spokesman for the Patients' Rights Association, warned that he would press the authority for an explanation of why it has to impose a means test. LOAD-DATE: January 20, 2005 CMLAsiaPacific -------------- Part Of CMLHope.Com An International Community Of CML Patients Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner: [EMAIL PROTECTED] New! Sign up for local CML support group meetings in your local community at http://cml.meetup.com Apply for Commercial Real Estate loans online and submit your deal to dozens of hungry lenders in just minutes. Loan programs for all types of business and commercial real estate. Apply anytime at http://realestatezoo.com CML (Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Support List) --------------------------------- Part Of CMLHope.Com An International Community Of CML Patients For more information: http://cmlhope.com Post Message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To No Mail/Web: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To Digest: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Change To Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] List Help: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CML Group Web Site http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CML Yahoo! Groups Links
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