The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies include a combination of sofosbuvir and ledipasvir, which have been proven to be more cost-effective than the old standard of care.
Even still, a cost analysis from MD Anderson researchers revealed the budget required to treat all diagnosed patients — of which there are more than 2 million in the US — is unsustainable.
The new therapies may be cost-effective and lead to improved outcomes but, compared with old drugs, they would cost an additional $20 billion, with only $16 billion in cost offsets.
“We have millions of people who need treatment for hepatitis C and payers obviously don’t have the budget to cover this tremendous expense,” said Jagpreet Chhatwal, PhD, study lead and assistant professor of Health Services Research at MD Anderson. “As a result, physicians have to prioritize the new drugs to the sickest of patients, and several payers have added restrictions that only those with the most advanced disease receive treatment.”
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