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From our readers…
A reader of the email edition of the Summer 2014 Forum took issue with the fact the article, “Hepatitis C: everyone deserves a chance at a cure,” did not discuss the cost of treatment. We asked the author, Michael C. Fried, MD, to address this concern. Here is Dr. Fried’s response:
“The true costs of treatment are difficult to characterize since many factors affect final drug pricing for the payers and patients. A 12-week course of Sofosbuvir costs approximately $84,000. The cost for the newest all-oral medication has not been released (These drugs won’t be approved for another few weeks). With such high rates of cure, the costs of these medications must be weighed against the myriad benefits of cure for those patients living with HCV infection.”
“The true costs of treatment are difficult to characterize since many factors affect final drug pricing for the payers and patients. A 12-week course of Sofosbuvir costs approximately $84,000. The cost for the newest all-oral medication has not been released (These drugs won’t be approved for another few weeks). With such high rates of cure, the costs of these medications must be weighed against the myriad benefits of cure for those patients living with HCV infection.”