Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

Update on HCV treatment for US inmates:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-prison-inmates-get-access-to-hepatitis-c-drugs-1520631413

Massachusetts state prison officials agreed to expand treatment for inmates with hepatitis C, in the first settlement among several class-action lawsuits accusing state prison systems of denying many prisoners access to costly drugs.

…The Massachusetts settlement requires the prison system’s health-care contractor to evaluate all infected prisoners and prioritize treatment. It mandates that the sickest patients be treated first with the new class of drugs. It also requires that all new prisoners be tested for hepatitis C when they enter the system.

…Litigation is having an effect elsewhere. In a lawsuit filed by Florida state prisoners last year, a federal judge in November issued a preliminary injunction ordering the state corrections department to substantially expand treatment of the estimated 7,500 inmates who have hepatitis C.

…Attorneys for inmates say cost isn’t a defense. “You can’t deny them treatment despite the fact that it cost a lot of money, if it’s lifesaving,” said Randall Berg, an attorney for Florida prisoners who sued the state prison system. Prices for the new drugs have been coming down. AbbVie introduced a new hepatitis-C drug last year, Mavyret, with a list price of $26,400 per patient for the most common treatment duration.