New hepatitis C drugs are expensive, making it difficult to access treatment. But their effectiveness is such that they could lead to the eradication of the disease.
A therapeutic revolution, which comes at a price. The new treatments for hepatitis C are very effective but also very expensive. So should we treat all patients, this is what is debated among hepatologists, gathered this week in congress in London. These molecules make it possible to cure patients in more than 90% of cases. In addition, they are oral tablets, very well tolerated whereas the previous treatments were done by injection and presented many undesirable effects. The duration of treatment is also shorter, from 3 to 6 months, compared to 12 to 24 months previously. They therefore only have advantages. But there is a downside, and size, their price.
A cost corresponding to the budget of Paris hospitals
In France, it takes 56,000 euros per patient. However, it is estimated that around 250,000 people are infected with hepatitis C. And even if only half of the patients were treated, the cost would correspond to the budget of the Assistance publique de Paris (AP-HP) for 2014. A l At a time when the government is trying to save money, things are messy.
Doctors have investigated whether the treatment could be cost effective. They used a mathematical model for this. The results, presented at the London Congress, show that the treatment is cost-effective only for patients with moderate to severe disease.
Towards an eradication of the disease
However, the doctors do not seem to want to resign themselves because the effectiveness of the treatments is such that the eradication of the disease is in sight. Moreover, a study presented at the London Congress, conducted by statisticians and epidemiologists from 15 countries, shows that if we increased the rate of screening and treatment, we could reduce the infected population by 90% by 2030.
And to get there, the challenge is to reduce the cost of these new treatments. However, there are no generics available today. One of the solutions, put forward by some experts, would be to be able to oppose the patent of the manufacturing laboratory, so that countries such as India or Brazil can produce generics.
The question of costs is all the more important as 85% of the 170 million patients in the world are in low-income and middle-income countries, such as China, India, Egypt and Indonesia. .
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