Ok, this isn’t about the ocean or coral reefs but it is an issue that is near and dear to my heart.    My husband was cured of Hepatitis C in a Phase 2 clinical trial involving two medicines owned by two different companies. They achieved an astounding 100% cure rate in all patients with little to no side effects.   One of the pills was sold to Gilead Sciences, that now refuses to go to Phase 3 trials, FDA approval and to market with the drugs.

I’m working with HCV: Coalition for the Cure  to help get the cure out.  Hep C now kills 1000 people a day in America–exceeding that of AIDS.  Please sign our White House petition seeking the President’s involvement in urging the release of this important way to save lives.  Go to http://www.hepc-cured.org  and sign today. You’ll have to register but it’s worth it.

Many thanks,   DeeVon    ps here’s our press release:

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 350,000 people a year are dying from Hepatitis C. Gilead Sciences and Bristol-Myers Squibb together developed a promising cure and HCV advocates are outraged at lack of its development

San Antonio, Texas (PRWEB) February 23, 2013

According to the World Health Organization, (WHO) 350,000 people die each year from Hepatitis C and it is the most widespread blood borne infection in the country. (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs164/en/). The disease now kills more people than AIDS (http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/23/us-hepc-idUSTRE81M1HR20120223).

San Antonian, Margaret Dudley, was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 2011. Dudley is leading a charge to make a cure available to the four million Americans living with the disease. “We feel Gilead Sciences has a moral responsibility to work with Bristol-Myers to put an end to this epidemic disease,” says Dudley.

She established the HCV Coalition for The Cure to raise awareness about Hepatitis C and the cure that exists. She says the greatest frustration is knowing that a treatment is available without toxic ribavirin and/or interferon, but it’s not being used. She says two pills from two different drug makers have shown remarkable results, but their use against Hepatitis C is stalled. Dudley says drug company Gilead Sciences has balked at further development with Bristol-Myers Squibb rather than moving forward with the medications they created together to cure the most common forms of Hepatitis C, which is a combination of Gilead Sciences’ sofosbuvir combined with Bristol’s daclatasvir (Bristol urges combo hepatitis C study with Gilead http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/31/us-bristolmyers-gilead-idUSBRE84U0WC20120531)

On February 19, 2013, Dudley, with the support of her husband, Gary Dudley, co-owner of San Antonio based corporation, SWBC, and a number of other advocates announced a drive to obtain a hundred thousand signatures, that would get the White House to help move things along.

“They can stop this disease by collaborating on this cure for a disease that’s reached epidemic proportions,” says 61 year old Dudley – a mother and grandmother.

The Hepatitis C virus resides in the liver. Over time, cysts and scar tissue form, causing liver cirrhosis. Tumors can develop and the liver can fail. This is the number one reason for liver transplants. “We feel very strongly with help of the nation and the White House, we can get these drug companies to come together with their previously proven treatment to cure the disease.”

“You have the cure, you developed it, give us access to it,” says Margaret directing her plea to the drug companies.

Dudley is urging everyone to go to http://www.hepc-cured.org and sign the White House petition.