One last hurrah before the new year comes upon us. 

Did you hear the news? There is a cure for Hep C! First lets clarify what Hep C is.  This is a viral infection that leads to swelling of the liver. This could also then lead to liver failure and ultimately death. The virus hangs out in your body for a while and then randomly starts to show its symptoms. However there is no real pattern for how symptoms begin to show themselves and this leaves doctors at times unsure of how to proceed with treatment. But, luckily now there is a cure. This cure is said to completely cure individual from the virus with very little side effect. How can this be possible? Well, if you can get your hands on about $85k -$100k, you can get your hands on the little pill called Sovaldi.

According to NPR, Gilead Sciences Inc. is the creator of this magic little pill. When asked about the cost, he responded with “We didn’t really say, ‘We want to charge $1,000 a pill, We’re just looking at what we think was a fair price for the value that we’re bringing into the health care system and to the patients.”

Other experts in the field have weighed in. Andrew Hill, a researcher in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Liverpool believes that the $1000 price tag is too high. In his department, they did estimates and tests and found that on the high end, the cost should not be more than $250 a pill.

So, is it time to celebrate yet? Sure… IF YOU ARE RICH! If milk re-evaluated the contributions it brings to the health care system, maybe they will begin to increase their gallon prices to $500 per gallon. Or perhaps if apple growers get wind of the way this pharmaceutical company estimates their prices, we may have to start paying hundreds for an apple. Am I reaching? Perhaps, but no further than making a cure for a disease that is out of reach for the majority of those infected.