This man set up a "buyers' club" for people to access cheap medication

This is a story about how patients can access new drugs and about the amount they cost.

David Cowley doesn't like to be compared to the Dallas Buyers Club, the group which smuggled unlicensed medicines into the US for HIV patients in the 1980s.

However, comparisons are inevitable.

But this isn't the 1980s, he isn't smuggling drugs and it's not about HIV.
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He calls himself a 'facilitator' between patients all over the world who need access to a potentially life saving drug for Hepatitis C and the Indian drugs companies who creates it, or at least a version of it.

Just like a travel agent, he is the middle man.
David Cowley
David Cowley Credit: ITV Wales

The drug is called Harvoni. It's been approved for use on NHS patients with the most, they get access to it first, meaning others are having to wait.

It costs the NHS £35,000 for a 12-week course, but a generic drug produced in India costs only $1,000 because a patent has not been granted. So people from all over the world are contacting David asking for help.

He explains why:
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David, who took the drug himself, says he's helped people from countries including America, Brazil and France. They usually find him though Facebook.

This is all perfectly legal because a loophole means medical drugs can be imported for personal use.

He says he insists people speak to their doctor before getting any medication but medical experts have advised patients to be cautious.

One of those is Dr Jacintha Sivarajah from The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry:
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The NHS in Wales and England have responded to this story.

    Last year we announced an extra £12m of new funding to make this medicine and other hepatitis C treatments available to Welsh patients. The lead clinicians in each health board worked together to develop a plan to ensure those in greatest need were treated first, and everyone who can benefit from this treatment will have access to it in time.

    Working through the All-Wales Drug Contracting Committee, health boards undertook a competitive tendering exercise to ensure NHS Wales received the best value for money when buying these medicines.

    To date approximately 400 patients have been treated and health boards aim to treat approximately 900 patients every year for the next five years. This includes those patients currently accessing care and those who have not been diagnosed or are not currently accessing care.

– Welsh Government

Meanwhile NHS England said:

    NHS England have been running successful competitive procurement to secure the best prices they can. As prices come down we hope in future years to be able to expand treatments even further within the funding available, and the industry is now engaging in the discussions with us about how best to do this. But where one drug company currently has an effective monopoly on some treatment subgroups, they can’t be forced to agree lower prices.

– NHS England