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Australia's rejection of costly new treatment sofosbuvir a 'death sentence for Hepatitis C sufferers'

http://hepatitiscnewdrugs.blogspot.com/2014/10/australias-rejection-of-costly-new.html

Liver experts at a conference on the Gold Coast have been warned Australia is on the verge of a catastrophic death spiral from Hepatitis C.

Dr Miriam Levy, the director of gastroenterology at Sydney's Liverpool Hospital, told the conference the recent decision by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to refuse subsidies for a breakthrough treatment for Hepatitis C had effectively delivered a death sentence to up to 50,000 Australians who would die from the disease in the next few years.

Australia is the only developed country in the world that has not agreed to subsidise the new $70,000 treatment for Hepatitis C for the most seriously ill patients.

The PBAC argued the costs were too high to treat Australia's 250,000 Hepatitis C sufferers and promised to review the decision in a year, when drug companies came back with a better price.

But Dr Levy said while 80 per cent of Australia's sufferers can probably afford to wait a few years until cheaper treatments become available, those who were already heading towards liver failure need the treatment now.