A Cure for the High Cost of Hepatitis C Virus Treatment
Authors: Ohad Etzion, Marc G. Ghany
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Editorials5 May 2015A Cure for the High Cost of Hepatitis C Virus TreatmentOhad Etzion, MD and Marc G. Ghany, MD, MHScOhad Etzion, MDFrom National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. and Marc G. Ghany, MD, MHScFrom National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M15-0674 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects more than 170 million persons worldwide, 350 000 of whom die annually from complications of end-stage liver disease or hepatocellular carcinoma (1). Viral eradication is associated with a reduction in adverse outcomes and liver-related death in patients with advanced chronic HCV infection (2). Although therapy with pegylated interferon–ribavirin has been available for more than a decade, only about one third of persons with chronic HCV infection have been referred for care and 7% to 10% have received therapy (3). The major reasons for the low treatment rates were the debilitating adverse effects, the ...References1. Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K, Lim S, Shibuya K, Aboyans V, et al. Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380:2095-128. [PMID: 23245604] doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61728-0 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. van der Meer AJ, Veldt BJ, Feld JJ, Wedemeyer H, Dufour JF, Lammert F, et al. Association between sustained virological response and all-cause mortality among patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced hepatic fibrosis. JAMA. 2012;308:2584-93. [PMID: 23268517] doi:10.1001/jama.2012.144878 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Holmberg SD, Spradling PR, Moorman AC, Denniston MM. Hepatitis C in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:1859-61. [PMID: 23675657] doi:10.1056/NEJMp1302973 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Liang TJ, Ghany MG. Therapy of hepatitis C—back to the future [Editorial]. N Engl J Med. 2014;370:2043-7. [PMID: 24795199] doi:10.1056/NEJMe1403619 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) for chronic hepatitis C. Med Lett Drugs Ther. 2014;56:5-6. [PMID: 24457562] MedlineGoogle Scholar6. Linas BP, Barter DM, Morgan JR, Pho MT, Leff JA, Schackman BR, et al. The cost-effectiveness of sofosbuvir-based regimens for treatment of hepatitis C virus genotype 2 or 3 infection. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:619-29. doi:10.7326/M14-1313 LinkGoogle Scholar7. Najafzadeh M, Andersson K, Shrank WH, Krumme AA, Matlin OS, Brennan T, et al. Cost-effectiveness of novel regimens for the treatment of hepatitis C virus. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:407-19. doi:10.7326/M14-1152 LinkGoogle Scholar8. Chhatwal J, Kanwal F, Roberts MS, Dunn MA. Cost-effectiveness and budget impact of hepatitis C virus treatment with sofosbuvir and ledipasvir in the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:397-406. doi:10.7326/M14-1336 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Ohad Etzion, MD; Marc G. Ghany, MD, MHScAffiliations: From National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.Financial Support: By the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M15-0674.Corresponding Author: Marc G. Ghany, MD, MHSc, Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 9B-16, 10 Center Drive, MSC 1800, Bethesda, MD 20892-1800; e-mail, MarcG@intra.niddk.nih.gov.Current Author Addresses: Drs. Etzion and Ghany: Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 9B-16, 10 Center Drive, MSC 1800, Bethesda, MD 20892-1800.This article was published online first at www.annals.org on 31 March 2015. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Cost-Effectiveness of Sofosbuvir-Based Regimens for Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 2 or 3 Infection Benjamin P. Linas , Devra M. Barter , Jake R. Morgan , Mai T. Pho , Jared A. Leff , Bruce R. Schackman , C. Robert Horsburgh , Sabrina A. Assoumou , Joshua A. Salomon , Milton C. Weinstein , Kenneth A. Freedberg , and Arthur Y. Kim Metrics Cited byResponse guided therapy for reducing duration of direct acting antivirals in chronic hepatitis C infected patients: a Pilot studyThe Costs of Hepatitis C by Liver Disease Stage: Estimates from the Veterans Health AdministrationChronic HepatitisEconomic and Public Health Impacts of Policies Restricting Access to Hepatitis C Treatment for Medicaid PatientsNewest Treatments for Hepatitis C: How Can We Manage Sustainability?Overtreating versus undertreating: what is the optimized treatment duration in HCV?Sofosbuvir-based regimens good value for HCV genotype 2/3 5 May 2015Volume 162, Issue 9Page: 660-661KeywordsCirrhosisDrug pricesHealth careHepatitis C virusInfectious diseasesLiver diseasesPatientsQuality adjusted life yearsQuality of lifeRenal diseases ePublished: 5 May 2015 Issue Published: 5 May 2015 PDF downloadLoading ...