> Homeless people are unlikely to pay $20 000 per year which is the price of the drug though.
True, but think about all the people who are fully functioning and productive members of society and got afflicted with this disease. This med will increase the likelihood that they continue to be highly functioning and compliant with the treatment. This will allow them to keep their jobs and cognitive abilities.
Every person I know with this disease has trouble sticking to meds due to side effects, and not sticking to the meds and relapsing multiple times is probably one of the most important reasons that their condition regresses.
It’s not just the side effects that cause people with schizophrenia to be non-compliant with meds. Many people with schizophrenia stop taking meds because they do not think they are sick - anosognosia. It’s why a longer lasting injectable is often recommended over daily oral meds.
> longer lasting injectable is often recommended over daily oral meds
Both are recommended. Why? Daily meds are not only effective, but remind the patient that they have an illness that needs daily maintenance, it makes them involved in the treatment. Long acting injectables are added monthly to prevent backslides in case the patient forgets or does not want to take their medicine.
It would be nice if every one could afford it. And people were still filthy rich, but not necessarily exorbitantly rich? It cost the company discovering the drug around $11M
Yep the poor people will only have to wait 20 years or so for the patent to expire. I’m happy it will help people but I can still get angry at companies that will watch people die and suffer, give a shrug, and continue counting their billions.
True, but think about all the people who are fully functioning and productive members of society and got afflicted with this disease. This med will increase the likelihood that they continue to be highly functioning and compliant with the treatment. This will allow them to keep their jobs and cognitive abilities.
Every person I know with this disease has trouble sticking to meds due to side effects, and not sticking to the meds and relapsing multiple times is probably one of the most important reasons that their condition regresses.