STATE PAYING FOR 57 AIDS DRUGS WELFARE
PROGRAM ADDS FDA-APPROVED MEDICATION
VIRACEPT
Nov 3 1997 9:20PM CST, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The state Department of Public Welfare has added Viracept, a powerful
anti-AIDS drug, to its list of drugs the department will cover under a
program to help those with moderate income pay for AIDS medications
and treatments.
With the addition of Viracept, department officials said, their Special
Pharmaceutical Benefits Program now covers 57 types of HIV or AIDS
drugs and treatments. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
Viracept belongs to a class of drugs called protease inhibitors. When used in combination
with other anti-viral drugs, they have been credited with preventing the progression of
HIV virus infection to full-blown AIDS, especially in patients who start taking the
medication early.
"Until a cure is found, Pennsylvania will continue to be thoughtful and judicious in its
review of drugs to assist people who otherwise might be unable to get the medications
they need to survive," said department Secretary Feather O. Houstoun. "We care about
helping those living with HIV and AIDS to maintain the best quality of life possible, to
remain in their homes and communities and to avoid having to further rely on public
assistance if possible."
Some AIDS activist groups, such as ACT UP-Philadelphia, had criticized Houstoun for
taking "too long" to accept Viracept for the special pharmaceutical program after the
federal Food and Drug Administration approved it in March. ACT UP-Philadelphia
charged that the department delayed covering Viracept because the medication, produced
by Agouron Pharmaceuticals in Southern California, would compete with another
protease inhibitor, Crixivan, manufactured by southeastern Pennsylvania-based Merck.
Department officials dismiss that charge. Spokesman George Yanoshik Jr. said that even
when the FDA approves a drug for treatment of HIV and AIDS, it is still subject to a
comprehensive review by the state's department before it is covered by the special
pharmaceutical program. He said the purpose of the review is to ensure that the cost and
demand for the new drugs won't bankrupt the program.
Agouron's Viracept, the brand name for the drug nelfinavir, was approved by the FDA
for use not only by adults, but also by children - one of the first protease inhibitors
approved for pediatric AIDS cases.
Since the advent of protease inhibitors, there has been a decline in the number of newly
diagnosed AIDS cases as well as deaths resulting from the disease. In 1996, there were
56,730 newly diagnosed AIDS cases, said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, or CDC. This was a decline from 1995, when 60,620 new cases were
reported.
Last year, 38,780 people died from AIDS. In 1995, 50,140 people died from the disease,
the CDC said.
Besides Viracept and Crixivan, the FDA has approved two other protease inhibitors:
Invirase and Norvir. But these medications are costly. A month's supply of Crixivan for
one person costs about $405, the Welfare Department said. Viracept costs about $501 a
month; Invirase costs about $515 a month; while Norvir costs about $601 a month.
The Special Pharmaceutical Benefits program serves about 3,500 people at a cost to the
state of $11 million a year. In addition to paying for AIDS drugs, the program pays for
clozaril, an anti-psychotic medication that is used to control schizophrenia.
To be eligible for the Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program, an individual must reside
in Pennsylvania but not in an institution, where medications covered by the program are
available. He or she must have total income of less than $30,000 a year, with an
allowance of $2,480 for each additional family member. To be eligible, one must have a
medical need for the drug.
Program applications are available from county welfare offices, AIDS service
organizations, hospital social service departments, state health centers, hemophilia and
renal dialysis centers, mental health centers and some physicians and pharmacies. More
information is available from the Welfare Department's toll-free hot line, at (800)
922-9384.
(Copyright 1997) |
