The federal government says people living with Hepatitis C will now have access to a new antiviral medicine under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
The antiviral therapy ‘Epclusa’ is more than 90 per cent effective in curing Hepatitis C within a 12-week period and will be available under the scheme from August 1 2017.
CEO of Hepatitis Australia, Helen Tyrrell said the announcement proclaimed on World Hepatitis Day is a medical breakthrough.
“Australians living with hepatitis c now have unprecedented access to curative therapies; however this is only the first step to eliminating hepatitis c as a public health threat in Australia,” she said.
“We must also communicate to those living with the condition that a life free from hepatitis c can be a reality.”
Data from Kirby Institute revealed that approximately 40,000 people underwent treatment with the hepatitis c antivirals in March 2016. Treatment numbers are now expected to increase due to the PBS.
Project Officer at World Health Organization Collabarating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, Laura Thomas said hepatitis is one of the leading causes of death globally, more so than HIV or malaria.
“Hepatitis B and C infection remain a significant issue,” she said.
[infogram id=”hepatitis_c-02844″ prefix=”uDK” format=”interactive” title=”Prevalence of Hepatitis C in Australia”]Health professionals and GPs will be responsible for communicating the accessibility scheme to patients, as well as raising awareness on the cure.
“Equipping health care professionals to feel confident engaging their patients in conversations about hepatitis c and the availability of cures must now become a focus,” Tyrrell said.
“Affordable access to curative therapies is critical but the real world value of these medical miracles is entirely reliant on people being aware of them and accessing them.”
The new antiviral medication combined with the PBS, hopes to see hepatitis c completely eliminated by 2030.
However, not the same can be said about hepatitis b, which has replaced hepatitis c as the most prevalent blood-borne virus in Australia, lagging behind in treatment and efforts to prevent and diagnose the infection.
“While the new Hepatitis C cures are amazing we are still waiting for a similar miracle treatment for hepatitis b.”
