Flight disruptions: ARVs for HIV-positive travellers in the UK

[newt]

http://i-base.info/home/flight-disruptions-arvs-for-hiv-positive-travellers-in-the-uk/

"The cancellation of air travel to and from the UK may have resulted in some HIV-positive travellers having insufficient ARVs to cover their extended stay.

"People in London can contact the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital who are aware of the problem. The advice from C&W is that any foreign nationals who are short of medication can contact this clinic and get an appointment with any specialist HIV doctor.

"The C&W will not charge for consultations and will charge for medications at cost price, for up to two weeks. The pharmacy will dispense one week of medication, and charge for this medication. If the patient is still unable to leave the UK after the first week, the pharmacy will then dispense the second weeks supply and again charge the patient the cost price for the medication.

"Patients should be able to get a similar service from other clinics in the UK, but this will require each clinic to have at least one doctor who is insured to issue private prescriptions, as they will not be covered by the NHS insurance.

"Other clinics should not charge a consultancy fee to see foreign patients, although this is at their discretion.

"The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (http://www.bashh.org/) has an online directory of clinics in the UK. The link on their home page includes a search facility by town or postcode."

I love the NHS :-)

- matt

[leese43]

Makes me feel proud to be British

[Alain]

I love the NHS :-)

- matt

Me too! Thank you Matt for this. Very helpful.

[veritas]

That is one outstanding and humane gesture !!

BRAVO ! to the Brits ---- from across the pond.

v

[Jeff G]

I can just hear fox news tonight . The British are trying to corrupt American tourist with government run health care and socialistic idealogy .

[Roie]

WOW.
 I wonder how it is in other pqarts of Europe.
I was meant to travel to Amsterdam on Sat morning. But got grounded and so could not travel.
I was to go for 5 days and would have taken exact amount of medication to last me the the 5 days.

Its scary to think that I may have been stranded in the Netherlands with out enough meds.

[leatherman]

would have taken exact amount of medication to last me the the 5 days.

most of my plane trips have been from OH to NC at Christmas time to visit family. Because you never know when it might snow, I've always taken at least double the amount of what my trip length is for, just in case. I've been delayed getting back home several times through the years.

Anytime you travel you should always take at least a few days extra, you never know what might happen, snow or volcanoes when flying or engine trouble when driving, or when you might just want to take an extra day or two away on your trip.

Plus, of course, when flying keep your meds in your carry-on and NOT in your luggage.

[Roie]

Anytime you travel you should always take at least a few days extra, you never know what might happen, snow or volcanoes when flying or engine trouble when driving, or when you might just want to take an extra day or two away on your trip.

Plus, of course, when flying keep your meds in your carry-on and NOT in your luggage.

Yes, now when ever I go on any trip I shall take double the amount.
I do always carry them in my carry-on and not in my luggage.

[Miss Philicia]

I bet this man doesn't like the NHS!

[Inchlingblue]

Thanks for posting this Matt. I know of at least two people who were running out of HIV meds in London; I'll pass the information on to them.

[J.R.E.]

Thanks for posting this Matt !! Thumbs up for the the NHS

I can just hear fox news tonight .

Making no mention of it all.  Maybe CNN or MSNBC,  But you won't hear it from Fox !





Ray

[leese43]

I bet this man doesn't like the NHS!

At least it was the correct testicle!

http://www.oddee.com/item_96576.aspx

In yet another case of wrongful operations, surgeons mistakenly removed the healthy right testicle of 47 year old airforce veteran Benjamin Houghton. The patient had been complaining of pain and shrinkage of his left testicle so doctors decided to remove it due to cancer fears. However, the veteran's medical records suggest a series of missteps - from an error on the consent form to a failure on the part of medical personnel to mark the proper surgical site before the procedure. The error which took place at the West Los Angeles VA medical centre, spurred a $200,000 lawsuit from Houston and his wife

[Hellraiser]

Someone make sure GSO sees this, so that he can let his partner know.  If his partner isn't already on his way home.  Some flights have been allowed to go.

[Cliff]

This is good and very helpful.

Hellraiser- I think GSO said his partner is in Rome.  This would only help those in the UK (London).

[Hellraiser]

This is good and very helpful.

Hellraiser- I think GSO said his partner is in Rome.  This would only help those in the UK (London).

So he did, I just consider Europe one big country thanks to the European Union.

[tednlou2]

I remember a thread on here not that long ago about traveling with meds.  I think someone (or more than one) said they only take just enough for their stay.  I remember posting what would happen if there was another 9/11 or something else that would halt travel and you couldn't get back home.

I've been wondering how many HIVers may be affected by being stranded and running out of meds.  It is good to know there is help.

[Miss Philicia]

I remember a thread on here not that long ago about traveling with meds.  I think someone (or more than one) said they only take just enough for their stay.  

While I don't sit around worrying about rather implausible scenarios like volcano plumes, I routinely take a couple days extra meds even if I'm just going to visit my parents outside of DC or friends in NYC via car or rail.  Just this past winter I was twice caught with my pants down traveling to both location and getting caught in severe blizzards.

I've traveled a lot during 18 years on meds and I don't think I've ever been delayed more than 36 hours.  Never a complete two days, but close enough.  I've even had weird things like what was supposed to be a 1.5 hour flight from Raleigh to Newark morph into a 24 odyssey of travel nightmare, or a 10 flight to Copenhagen morph into 30 hours.  And that was even back when I was on a regimen of 30 pills, in 3 different doses, some with food and some requiring an empty stomach.

[Inchlingblue]

I've only travelled once since starting meds, I was away for a week and I took two weeks' worth of meds.

I wouldn't feel comfortable unless I took twice as much as needed. It's not only about natural disasters but one of the things that I've had to come to terms with after starting meds is losing a sense of spontaneity in life. What if once I'm there I want to stay longer for whatever reason?

[Miss Philicia]

Conversely, I quite enjoy always being able to say, "Oh no, can't possibly stay any longer -- I didn't bring extra meds!"

[Hellraiser]

I take my entire 30 day supply with me whenever I travel anywhere.  I actually refilled today and I find I get kind of anxious/stressed out when I have less than a week's supply left.  I wouldn't let it get that low and had actually built up a 3 week surplus but just hadn't been able to get to Baton Rouge to refill.  It's complicated dammit.

[Jeff G]

My fat supply of hiv meds have dwindled down in the last few years due to late refills and a prescription change from sustiva to atripla . Without thinking I gave away my leftover truvada and sustiva that could have got me by in a pinch .

[Phoenius10]

I wouldn't exactly call this a good thing.  I mean, what is "cost price"?  I know my Atripla cost over $2000 for a month.  That would be $500 for a week?!?  Yeah right.  Who in their right minds would pay that?  I'd be calling up my doctor and/or pharmacy in the US asking/pleading with them to FedEx me a shipment before I'd pay that price.  But in this case, who knows, the FedEx planes probably weren't even getting through. LOL  I guess I'd have to go without then.

But then again, this is why I'd never go anywhere without at least a 2week 'extra' supply, especially out of country.

[Inchlingblue]

I wouldn't exactly call this a good thing.  I mean, what is "cost price"?  I know my Atripla cost over $2000 for a month.  That would be $500 for a week?!?  Yeah right.  Who in their right minds would pay that?  I'd be calling up my doctor and/or pharmacy in the US asking/pleading with them to FedEx me a shipment before I'd pay that price.  But in this case, who knows, the FedEx planes probably weren't even getting through. LOL  I guess I'd have to go without then.

But then again, this is why I'd never go anywhere without at least a 2week 'extra' supply, especially out of country.

"Cost" might be a lot less in Europe than in the US, since they have government run health care, the government is able to negotiate decent prices, it's not like in the US.

I'd be curious to know what the wholesale price of Atripla is, i.e. what the NHS pays in the UK.

[leese43]

I wouldn't exactly call this a good thing.  I mean, what is "cost price"?  I know my Atripla cost over $2000 for a month.  That would be $500 for a week?!?  Yeah right.  Who in their right minds would pay that?  I'd be calling up my doctor and/or pharmacy in the US asking/pleading with them to FedEx me a shipment before I'd pay that price.  But in this case, who knows, the FedEx planes probably weren't even getting through. LOL  I guess I'd have to go without then.

But then again, this is why I'd never go anywhere without at least a 2week 'extra' supply, especially out of country.

I could only find old data but in 2007 cost price in the UK was around $950 per month, US $1400.

Surely this is what travel insurance is for anyway and those that needed meds would claim back.

http://www.mahalo.com/atripla

[newt]

Atripla costs £620 or so a month, an expensive Norvir boosted PI combo might push it to £950. A Reyataz or Kaletra based PI combo would be marginally higher than Atripla. The exact price will depend on the local purchasing consortium's agreements with suppliers.

[Dsd09]

Atripla costs £620 or so a month

This is what I've been told too, so 'cost price' I guess would be around £150 / $230 for a weeks supply.

I wonder if this could be reclaimed on travel insurance as necessary medical expenses.

[Inchlingblue]

This is what I've been told too, so 'cost price' I guess would be around £150 / $230 for a weeks supply.

This is assuming they can sell you a week's worth. I know of someone, here in the US, who needed about a week's worth but he had to buy a whole bottle of it b/c the pharmacy could not open it and sell him 7 pills.

[newt]

NHS pharmacies at HIV clinics can dispense in any quantity from 1 day up.

- matt

[PeteNYNJ]

Newt

thanks for always being amazing...you know you are