BioPlus highlights services to hurricane-affected patient

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — By the time Hurricane Sandy had finished sweeping up the East Coast, it left billions of dollars in damage and took dozens of lives.

But it caused another dimension of hardship for some people: those living with chronic diseases.

BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy highlighted on Wednesday the case of Gloria Brown, a woman living on the New Jersey shore who had been diagnosed with hepatitis C 12 weeks before, which she had contracted through a blood transfusion. Brown took the drugs she was prescribed despite the harsh side effects, and after six weeks, she received word that the virus had become undetected, opening the possibility of a cure.

But when Hurricane Sandy arrived on Oct. 29, it made landfall before she received her drugs, which were stuck at a distribution hub in another state. Her town was flooded, most roads were blocked and there was no power. An interruption in treatment could cause the virus to rebound and become resistant to treatment.

BioPlus, however, said it was working on multiple backup plans to make sure Brown's medications were delivered. Plans included using samples from local doctors and transferring the prescription to another pharmacy, but those didn't work, so BioPlus managed to find a private courier who was able to pick up the package and deliver it personally to Brown's door.

The company said subsequent tests showed Brown's virus was still undetected and that she's on track for a complete cure.

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