ISSN: 2376-0419
+44 1300 500008
Thomas Buckley
Tanzania
Commentry
Lowering the High Cost of Hepatitis C Drugs
Author(s): Audrey R Chapman and Thomas Buckley
Audrey R Chapman and Thomas Buckley
Escalating prices for prescription drugs have contributed to the rise in health care costs in the United States and made many medicines increasingly unaffordable. This situation is particularly problematic for essential but very expensive drugs needed by large numbers of people. This article focuses on one of these, the unsustainable cost of hepatitis C medications. Hepatitis C is estimated to affect some 3 million, mostly poor, Americans and more than 185 million people globally. Chronic hepatitis C infection can progress to liver cirrhosis, cancer, and liver failure. Several recently developed direct-action antiviral medications offer highly effective treatment with few adverse effects, but their use is limited by their very high cost. List prices in the United States for the most used hepatitis C drugs are upwards of $84,000 per patient for the standard 12 week treatment course. Th.. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2376-0419.1000187