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1797925 tn?1341096204

Does Gilead hold the key to CURE!

I would be interested to know  how many  have signed the petition at Change.org targeting Gilead Sciences (GS-7977) to partner with Bristol-Myers (BMS-790052 daclatasvir) and to put "patients before profits".   Excerpts pasted below from various searches on the internet:

"Gilead, Bristol Hep C Drug Data at EASL: 100% Cure Rate with Bristol's phase II study of daclatasvir plus Gilead's GS-7977 in patients with genotypes 1, 2, and 3: SVR4 (early cure) rate in the genotype 1 patients: 100%. In genotype 2/3 patients, the SVR4 rate was 91%."

"But the combination might not find its way to the market because one pill is owned by Gilead Sciences and the other by Bristol-Myers Squibb. The companies have not agreed to collaborate, to the chagrin of some doctors."

"Dr. Douglas J. Manion, a senior vice president for Bristol-Myers, said his company was “keen” on working with Gilead but that “thus far, they have been unwilling to engage in that collaboration.”

If you have not signed it, I am curious to know your reasons.  I have been following this forum since I was diagnosed last September, and I have spent hundreds, probably thousands of hours searching for treatment without the side effects of interferon and/or ribavirin..  And now there appears to be a 100% early CURE rate for GT1s without interferon OR ribavirin, and a 91% early CURE rate for GT3s (my genotype)...with minimal side effects (nausea, headache, fatigue).

Thank you all in advance for your responses.

Link to petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/gilead-sciences-a-phase-iii-collaboration-for-the-treatment-of-hepatitis-c

Warmest Regards,
Margaret





52 Responses
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1797925 tn?1341096204
Check out the newsletter my wonderful daughter sent out today regarding our petition.  The response has been awesome! Copy & paste into browser.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fconta.cc%2FNeAugu&h=VAQFMSif_AQEvFHqu7Z09SAveqgUChDVnxMNzEJ4km7QlzA

Petition Update:3890 have signed!  WOO-HOOOOO

Sign & share...and share some more!  It is NICE to share ;)
Helpful - 0
1797925 tn?1341096204
Petition Update: 3557 have signed...have you?  Has your spouse? Your mother? Your sister? Your brother?  You get where I am going right???

Want the CURE w/o INF/RIB??? Tell it to Gilead Sciences by signing and sharing this petition!
Helpful - 0
408795 tn?1324935675
Bump this sucker up top!!  C'mon people, if you haven't already promoted that your friends and family sign the link then please do so.  I know, I don't like giving out my information either but there are websites like facebook that know more about you than the link is asking for.  We have to stand united on this issue.  If you're sick and tired of the stigma and negative publicity that HepC gets here's your opportunity to do something about it.  Sure the link won't change the stigma but it will show that we have somekind of movement and we are united on something.  Read through all the posts in this thread then sign or send the link to your friends and family.  Thank you very much!!  bump, bump!!

http://www.change.org/petitions/gilead-sciences-a-phase-iii-collaboration-for-the-treatment-of-hepatitis-c


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1797925 tn?1341096204
Great!  Did you happen to see ALL the people from San Antonio who have signed?  Over 500!  If nothing else, we are enlightening our local folks :)

I am still reaching out anyway I can...this is too important!

Petition update:  2322 have signed!

Warmest regards,
Margaret
Helpful - 0
766573 tn?1365166466
I finally broke down and signed. It's volunteering the info I was reluctant about so I think I figured a way around that :)
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408795 tn?1324935675
Please help to have Gilead answer up on what they're gonna do about this mess.  If you do nothing we get nothing!  If we sign or at minimum have friends and family sign then we have a chance to change something here.  check out the links!!! Please...

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/mt/archives/2012/04/hep_c_trial_of.html

change.org/petitions/gilead-sciences-a-phase-iii-collaboration-for-the-treatment-of-hepatitis-c#



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1797925 tn?1341096204
Petition update:  1850 have signed.  Keep it up!
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1797925 tn?1341096204
Update:  1683 people have signed thus far.  Everyone please keep sharing this link.  We can do this people...we have to!  Thank you all!  
Helpful - 0
338734 tn?1377160168
Well I signed it. I am apreciative of the efforts of Mdudley and athers for taking the initiative.

Among those with a need for a new drug are transplant patients. There are many of them who have failed Peg/Riba and cannot take Telaprevir or Bocep because of serious interaction with the toxic immune inhibitors they must take.

Since HEPC is the #1 reason for liver transplantation in the US, and genotype 1 is the most common genotype, I imagine that there is a great number of people currently in dire need for an effective therapy with or without interferon.

GS-7977with Daclatasvir looks like the best hope right now.

A big thanks to all on the forum for the good posts here!
Helpful - 0
1797925 tn?1341096204
Update on petition at :  (copy & paste into your browse)

www.change.org/petitions/gilead-sciences-a-phase-iii-collaboration-for-the-treatment-of-hepatitis-c#

We had over 502 signatures today for a grand toal of 1654!  This is the biggest day yet and I think it is going to grow tremendously in the next few weeks.  

Please sign and share this petition via emails, twitter, facebook, etc.! I believe we can do this.  I believe we can pressure Gilead into collaboration with BMS...all it takes is enough signatures.  So appeal to everyone you know!

Warmest regards,

Margaret
Helpful - 0
408795 tn?1324935675
"So heppers UNITE!  There is a CURE for Hepatitis C and Gilead Sciences holds the KEY...we will make them OPEN the DOOR!"

Rah rah sis boom bah go team go!!  Let's get them signatures going people and if you can't sign up for one reason or another then send out the link to friends and family to go to that link and sign up.  Actually I feel if you have a facebook account you have more to worry about than change.org but that's jmho.  bump bump!!

Helpful - 0
1797925 tn?1341096204
Fretboard...I am so darn grateful to you!  Yes...let's get the word out!  I refuse to miss an opportunity to get someone to sign this petition.  I got my acupunturist, hairdresser, massage therapist, Time Warner cable service guys (on a service call at my house), and many others to sign. I told both of my daughters that for Mother's day all I wanted was signatures on this petition  (they got 35 of them :).  I have made up fliers and left them at the post office, ATM, etc. and I post unrelentingly on FB.  I have written the newspaper, one of our US Senators...anything and everything I can think of!  And tomorrow my husband (he finally got permission) is putting out an office email to over 1500 employees!!!  The word is starting to get out there...I have seen people's names from all over the world!   We need 100,000 signatures by July 20th in order to present this petition to Gilead.
Although you are required to enter your email & address this information is not shared anywhere.  As of a few minutes ago, we have 1150...hoping to see that number rise significantally in the next few days.  Michael Labhard is the person who started this petition because he has a friend who had a liver transplant and desperately needs these TWO drugs just as we ALL DO!  So heppers UNITE!  There is a CURE for Hepatitis C and Gilead Sciences holds the KEY...we will make them OPEN the DOOR!

Warmest regards,
Margaret
Helpful - 0
179856 tn?1333547362
I just haven't signed it because after 7 or 8 years now and thousands of petitions and letter writing campaigns - I no longer have a 'psuedo' ID and cannot use my work email for things like this any longer.

However; I do hope it gets somewhere.  It'd be nice to win one for a change.
Helpful - 0
408795 tn?1324935675
Yes, you have to enter your name and address and email.  I was apprehensive as well cause I don't let just anybody have my information but in this case I made an exception and I feel everyone should.  If you just cut the link below and slap it onto google, the link info comes right up.  Lets get to signin' people!!  bump it up.

change.org/petitions/gilead-sciences-a-phase-iii-collaboration-for-the-treatment-of-hepatitis-c


Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Can you put the link in one line? Also, do we have to give out our personal imformation, because I dont like to do that via The Internet~
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408795 tn?1324935675
Today I spoke to a doctor that would know anything and everything about this fiasco with Gilead holding up a "sure fire tx regime" and I found out that you are absolutely correct.  I am sorry, I was wrong.  Anyone and everyone should sign the petition no matter if anything happens or not!  Either way it will send a message.  

Just to clarify this is the way I heard it.  I heard alot of people are mad at Gilead because they won't use the drug that BMS provided for the trial where they had extremely high success rates.  Gilead provided their drug and Bristol (BMS) provided theirs.  The results of the two drugs together blew the roof off the place.  Everyone was astounded!!  Instead Gilead says they have their own drug that can do the same thing as BMS's drug but it's simply not true.  I guess Gilead don't want to lose money that they've spent on their drug so they have pulled out of the whole idea of working with BMS entirely.  That's the pitts!!  I am shocked that they would pull away in such a blatant manner but they did.  So much for Gilead being on the top of my list of the best HepC companies!!!  Sign the petition people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    
Helpful - 0
408795 tn?1324935675
"If you have not signed it, I am curious to know your reasons."
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I haven't signed your petition yet because I gotta make sure it's legit and not something some nut job put together.  Usually if someone wants you to sign their link they give more information and they're usually very nice to people.  All you do is try to tear somebody apart if they don't agree with you, what's that about?  Has Gilead promised you anything if you get together your hundred thousand signatures?  
Helpful - 0
1797925 tn?1341096204
I am not being rude, and I am sorry you took it as such.  Thank you for wishing me luck!  I wish you well with your 'fish fry'.

Warmest regards,
Toots :)
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408795 tn?1324935675
I wish this forum gave the ability to edit!!  I see your point about Gilead and Bristol having the key to the drugs almighty but I question your opinion and research as far as the ability of Gilead and Bristol to come together on this tx.  There's always two or more sides to every story.  Besides that you missed my point about (the manufacturer's of both Vic and Incivek have crossed similar paths that Gilead and Bristol Meyers find themselves in.)  But nevermind toots, I got bigger fish to fry.  Good luck with your petition.
Helpful - 0
408795 tn?1324935675
There is no reason for you to be rude about it.  The tx we have today is brutal for many patients so why wouldn't companies try to find a better tx?  
Helpful - 0
1797925 tn?1341096204
Why would Gilead need to search for better treatment for HCV if the results presented at EASL are correct?  GS-7977 + BMS-790052 (daclatasvis) trial results were 100% CURE in GT1s with little or no side effects...  92% in GT3s (which happens to be my GT).  So somebody please educate me...I am either the most naive person to ever have HCV or just plain dumb!  Or perhaps both.  

Petition update:  1124 and growing!  

Warmest regards,
Margaret

"When they feel the heat, they will see the light"!  perhaps!!!
Helpful - 0
408795 tn?1324935675
http://www.change.org/petitions/gilead-sciences-a-phase-iii-collaboration-for-the-treatment-of-hepatitis-c
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You know it would be really great if your link made it possible for all companies to work together to find the best possible treatment drugs for all of us.  I have personally worked with Gilead in the past and I think they're doing all they can to cure and find ways to tx this disease to the best of their ability.  I think if you dug deeper you could find situations where the manufacturer's of both Vic and Incivek have crossed similar paths that Gilead and Bristol Meyers find themselves in.  I feel that all companies should work together to find a cure, vaccine et al. in the tx of this hideous disease but is it gonna happen to approach the situation with a link to vote or is it gonna require legislation?  I'm just sayin'.  Please educate me if I have missed something.
Helpful - 0
1797925 tn?1341096204
Thanks for reply!  And party just getting started! :).  Update on petition:

1103 people have signed as of a few minutes ago!

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers everywhere!
Helpful - 0
317787 tn?1473358451
Hi I am always last to the party, I signed when it was first presented on here
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