Australia-New Medicine for Hepatitis-C Approved by PBS

Submitted by Prakash Sharma
Wed, 02/20/2013 - 09:15

Hepatitis-C is known to be one of the most common diseases in Australia. It represents a significant health problem to people that tends to turn into life-threatening conditions such as liver failure and liver cancer sometimes in the future.

In 2011, when the last estimation was made, it was revealed that around 220,000 Australians are living with chronic hepatitis-C. The worst thing to know about this disease is that like other categories of hepatitis, even hepatitis-C does not have any vaccination for prevention.

On Tuesday, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) has been introduced by Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek in which several listings have been made with regard to revolutionary treatments for persistent hepatitis-C. Under this scheme, more than 130,000 people will benefit. It includes advance and extended medicine subsidies for patients.

As said by Ms. Plibersek in Sydney, under the scheme, as subsidy to the drugs boceprevir (Victrelis) and telaprevir (Incivo), government will be offering more than $220 million doses over a period of five years. This way, not only the cure rate will get doubled but the curing treatment will be also shortened by six months.

To get these medicines, patients would have to pay up to $78,000 annually and that too without subsidized access through the PBS.

http://topnews.us/content/253392-new-medicine-hepatitis-c-approved-pbs