Hepatitis-b

[popshirt]

I have a Thai friend who has chronic hepatitis-b. His disease has progressed to the point that his doctors are recommending Interferon-alpha injection therapy which is a standard treatment for someone like himself who has an incredibly high viral load and has been monitored for about a year now. Ultrasound tests and liver biopsy also indicate treatment is necessary, and soon. My question arises about the cost of treatment. He hopes to undergo treatment at Chulalongkorn Hospital and the doctor there estimates that the cost of the drug therapy will be around 600,000 baht. Yes, six hundred thousand baht. He knew it would be expensive but we were astonished to find it THAT expensive. The alternative is cirrhosis, possibly liver cancer, eventually a liver transplant (if a donor can be found) or death. Does anyone reading this have experience or advice concerning the cost of this treatment. Of course he will approach other government hospitals to compare costs before making a decision. In his case, it may be academic anyway since neither he nor his family has anywhere near that kind of money and he has no insurance.

[Sheryl]

I don't think cost will vary much by hospital as the cost comes from the drug itself.

If your friend is a Thai citizen, go to the social service dept of the hospital in question. All Thai hospitals have procedures in place for patients who are unable to pay the full cost of treatment. These tend to be underused as Thais often feel it is a loss of face to apply.

The only other recourse I can think of is to approach the drug company itself, many drug companies have special programns to provide drugs at low or no cost for indigent people. This is more often true in developed countries and if your friend is foreign then it might be best to contact the home country office, but for starters you can try the Bangkok branch of Shehering (manufacturers of Intron, which is the preparation of alfa intereferon usually used for Hep as follows:

Schering (Bangkok) Ltd.

Bangkok 10210 Thailand

P.O. Box: 1 06 Laksi Post Office

phone: +66 - 25 73 36 90

fax: +66 - 25 73 11 71

address: Schering Chemicals Ltd.

Bangkok 10210 Thailand

P.O. Box: 1 06 Laksi Post Office

phone: +66 - 25 73 00 53 / 4 / 5

fax: +66 - 25 73 11 71

Ask specifically if they have a "patient assistance program" or "indigent patient assistance program"

If your friend is a foreign national go to the websitewww.shering.co and click on the appropritate country and try there.

This takes (applying to the drug co) some patience and perserverance but is often successful.

Good luck

[popshirt]

Thank you Sheryl. He is a Thai citizen. We will investigate this option.