Hepatitis C can kill, but too many people don’t have access to treatment

By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) — More than 2 million people in the United States have hepatitis C, but most are not getting the safe treatment that can cure the disease, public health officials said Thursday. .

A new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention details this problem and highlights the need for a proposed national program to expand access to the remedy, in the form of antiviral pills.

If left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to liver scarring (cirrhosis), end-stage liver disease, and cancer.

“Tens of thousands of Americans with hepatitis C contract liver cancer, suffer liver failure, or die because they lack access to lifesaving drugs,” said dr. Jonathan Mermindirector of the CDC’s National Center for the Prevention of HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STDs and Tuberculosis.

“In our country, no one should have to live knowing that a cure for their life-threatening illness is available, but out of reach,” he said in an agency press release.

More than 14,800 Americans died in 2020 from illnesses associated with hepatitis C.

An announcement regarding the new CDC report described the number of people cured of known hepatitis C infections as “extremely low.”

This was true across all age and insurance groups. The rate was particularly low among those who did not have health insurance or Medicaid coverage.

While adults under 40 had the highest rates of new infections, they were also the least likely to receive the highly effective drug.

Although cure rates are highest among patients age 60 and older with Medicare or commercial insurance, less than half received the treatment.

“The development of a safe and highly effective cure for hepatitis C is one of the most amazing medical achievements of the past 20 years,” said the US National Institutes of Health. Dr. Francis Collins, who leads the White House National Hepatitis C Elimination Program. “But sadly, too many people in our country still face insurmountable barriers to accessing this treatment, which means we have to work harder.”

He said the proposed national hepatitis C elimination program would overcome many of these obstacles, potentially saving tens of thousands of lives and tens of billions of healthcare dollars. This is “compassionate care that also contributes to deficit reduction,” Collins said in the statement.

Barriers to treatment include cost, restrictive treatment coverage policies and difficulties diagnosing the disease, the CDC said.

The drug can cost tens of thousands of dollars. The CDC said an innovative national delivery model would make hepatitis C treatment accessible to everyone.

The CDC said the White House has requested substantial funding to make it happen, which could save billions of dollars in health care costs within 10 years.

Currently, some state Medicaid programs and commercial insurers have treatment restrictions that conflict with medical advice, require prior authorization, and limit the types of providers who can prescribe the treatment.

Some of those policies require patients to already have severe liver damage before they can be treated or to go months without alcohol or drugs, the CDC said.

Getting a positive test can be a tedious process. An antibody test and nucleic acid lab test are required, which can delay treatment, the CDC said.

The agency suggests supporting the development of rapid point-of-care (POC) viral tests that take one visit for diagnosis and to start treatment.

The CDC also suggests expanding prevention, testing, and treatment to more settings, so undiagnosed Americans can become aware of their infection.

The US National Library of Medicine has more on Hepatitis C.

SOURCE: United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, press release, June 29, 2023

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