The price of hepatitis C medication will be drastically reduced shortly, says the national Health Department, as the drugs are added to the essential medicines list and a government tender takes place. Additionally, once generic versions become available, costs will drop even further, it says.
Currently, a three-month treatment course is R19 984 per patient, said Health Ministry spokesperson Foster Mohale, adding that the treatment is available only at tertiary hospitals – free through the public health system.
Pricing breakthrough
Last month, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and The Hepatitis Fund announced a pricing breakthrough to reduce the cost of viral hepatitis treatment by more than 90%, reports Health-e News, which should drastically lower all WHO-prequalified hepatitis C and B drugs.
Hepatitis C seroprevalence in South Africa is estimated at 0.4% (equating to between 205 000 and 519 000) of chronically infected people, with funding for both the B and C strains being limited due to a range of competing priorities.
Health-e News article – Hepatitis C: new hope as treatment prices set to drop (Open access)
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