Flush all that money away, too, taxpayer.
Need insult to injury?
See: The Money Pipeline From Massachusetts to Israel
Are you you surprised?
"Alcoholism drug not an easy sell; Despite praise, local biotech finds barriers" by Todd Wallack, Globe Staff | March 23, 2009
.... Vivitrol has largely been a commercial flop. There are several reasons: Many alcohol treatment programs resist using drugs; some doctors contend Vivitrol doesn't work for most patients; and it's expensive - $800 a month....
Need I type more? Yeah, let's hook the alchy up on drugs, cha-ching!!!
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there are about 8 million alcoholics in the United States, yet only a few thousand use Vivitrol, nearly three years after it went on the market. Alkermes Inc., a Cambridge biotechnology company, recently predicted it will generate no more than $24 million in sales for this fiscal year, far below initial expectations.
A major challenge facing Alkermes is that its novel approach runs counter to decades of tradition. Historically, alcohol treatment programs have relied more on counseling than medication.
Oh, THEIR DRUGS are MEDICATION!!!!!!
Many alcoholics turn to support groups, like Alcoholics Anonymous, rather than doctors, who have the authority to prescribe medications, and AA doesn't have an official opinion on Vivitrol or other drugs.
Larry Luttrell, owner of the Liberty House and Liberty Ranch addiction treatment centers in Los Angeles and Kentucky, called drugs like Vivitrol a "crutch." "We want people to be drug free," said Luttrell, adding that 12-step programs are much more effective than medication. "You've got to face reality."
You HEAR THAT, POISONING LOOTERS?
Alkermes.... acknowledges it must change long-held ideas about treating alcoholism. "When you develop a new market, it takes time," said Jim Frates, the company's chief financial officer....
And THAT is WHAT it is ALL ABOUT, readers! CREATING a MARKET for their POISON PRODUCTS!!!
Btw, if they shut off all the alcoholics, whose going to pay the booze tax they wanna raise? Yup, STRIP the TAX BASE DOWN, shitters!!!!
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Dr. Kim Dennis, medical director at the Timberline Knolls treatment center near Chicago, said the same mechanism that helps diminish the need for alcohol also dulls the natural highs of exercise, sex, or other activities. As a result, she prefers to prescribe a pill version of the drug - so patients can choose to skip a dose.
Then I'd rather take my chances drunk than be turned into a prescription drug-addled zombie!
Also, she said many patients don't want to treat alcoholism with drugs, out of fear they will replace dependence on one substance with another, even though Dennis said Vivitrol isn't addictive.
Yeah, it's called CROSS ADDICTION and everyone knows all about it. Btw, pot isn't addictive, either, but the state sure has a problem with that.
Of course, anything that might actual help you stay alive, this government opposes.
"Study: Smoking Pot Doesn't Cause Cancer--It May Prevent It! Smoking Cannabis Does Not Cause Cancer Of Lung or Upper Airways, Tashkin Finds; Data Suggest Possible Protective Effect"
Also read: The Ron Paul Platform: Personal Freedom
"The irony is that they are willing to take drugs that harm them, but they have all sorts of fear about drugs that might help them," she said.
Are you sick of having shit doctors like this shove poison down your throats with their prescriptions, readers?
And then there's the cost - about $9,600 a year. Even though many insurance companies officially cover its use, several doctors said they had trouble getting reimbursed. In some cases, insurers require them to try other treatments first. Insurance companies can also be fussy about the coding on the forms.
Need I really type anything else?
"We have had great difficulty getting reimbursed," said Paulene Yore-Brown, director of behavior health services for the Lowell Community Health Center. Yore-Brown said the center has had some success with Vivitrol, but rarely recommends it because of reimbursement complications and the price.
In addition, because Vivitrol is given by injection, patients can't fill a prescription for it at their neighborhood pharmacy. Instead, they usually receive an injection from a doctor or nurse.
Oh, and you NEED a SHOT to do it? FUCK THAT!!!!!!!!
Vivitrol's sales have been so disappointing that Cephalon Inc., which controlled the US marketing rights for Vivitrol, opted out of the deal in December, leaving Alkermes with sole responsibility for selling the drug domestically.
Oh, I CAN'T IMAGINE WHY!!! You'll just feel a prick, biotech!!!!
But Alkermes isn't giving up. The company said it is working to resolve reimbursement issues, improve Vivitrol's distribution, and better explain its benefits to addiction specialists. It is also testing Vivitrol to treat addictions to heroin and other opioid-based drugs, in a clinical trial. And another partner, Johnson & Johnson, is preparing to launch the drug in Russia....
Yeah, lot of alcoholics there, huh?
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