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GREAT LETTER KATHLEEN -----Original Message----- From: Kathleen Cochran Sent: Friday, October 23, 2015 7:47 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Fwd: Attn: Carrie Scott (re: Nilotinib) My letter to Carrie Scott at Novartis. I will forward to August Salgado also. Please feel free to use any part of it to make your own letter. Comments, suggestions, editorial tweaking are all welcome. Can someone check to see if this issue shows up anywhere on Facebook and Twitter? Kathleen Who knows what kind of response this will get. It does feel good to do something. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Kathleen Cochran <[log in to unmask]> Date: 23 October 2015 at 10:34 Subject: Attn: Carrie Scott (re: Nilotinib) To: [log in to unmask] Dear Ms. Scott, I am one of millions of Parkinson's patients around the world who were stunned at the results of the Phase 1 trial of Novartis's drug, Nilotinib, which succeeded in what seemed until now to be a fantasy—the reversal of the Parkinson's process. That this drug may work similarly for Alzheimer's sufferers seems like a miracle. For all of us in the Parkinson's and Alzheimer's communities, this is very good news. Unfortunately, we also were hit by bad news. The pricing of this drug in the U.S. runs above a hundred thousand dollars per year, putting it out of reach for all but the wealthiest citizens. How does Novartis justify this? The drug was developed with taxpayer dollars. Surely, given the vast numbers of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's patients, Novartis stands to reap substantial gains if Nilotinib is widely prescribed for these patients. Would it not be true corporate responsibility for Novartis to go public now with a promise that if Nilotinib should prove effective in reversing the course of these terrible, dreaded, and widespread diseases, not one individual who needs the drug will have to do without it because of cost. Success for Novartis should mean hope for all...not just the rich. Sincerely, Kathleen Cochran Tappan, NY ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn