Hep C decision a lifesaver for many, doc says
Ottawa liver specialist Dr. Curtis Cooper is calling Ontario’s decision to pay for new treatments that can cure hepatitis C a “landmark event” that will change the lives of thousands of people with the disease.
Cooper, director of The Ottawa Hospital and Regional Hepatitis Program, sees thousands of hepatitis C patients, many of whom will benefit from the new drug therapy now that it is covered by the province.
“This is going to mean the difference between health or illness and death,” for many patients, he said.
Previously, the high cost of the new treatments put it out of reach of most patients unless they were part of a drug trial or received assistance. A course of Harvoni, which consists of one pill a day for as little as eight weeks and is interferon free, costs about $69,000. It treats genotype 1 chronic hepatitis, which, Cooper said, affects about 70 per cent of the 5,000 patients in the Ottawa Hospital program.
Some patients, including an Ottawa man who spoke to the Citizen, paid for the treatment themselves. But many, said Cooper, were hoping for the news that came this week in the form of a joint announcement from several provinces that negotiated together through the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance. The alliance allows provinces and territories to leverage their buying powers to negotiate better prices for new drugs.
“This is another example of our collective action when we choose to work as one,” said Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins.
Cooper, meanwhile, said news that the new drugs are available on public drug plans is being greeted with excitement by patients and staff. “It is one of those times when a real game changer comes along. This is one of them.”
Harvoni was approved for sale by Health Canada late last year.
The other drug is Sovaldi, which treats hepatitis C genotypes 1,2 and 3 and was approved for sale in late 2013.
Previous treatments have had difficult side effects, which many patients could not tolerate, and lower cure rates. Sovaldi and Harvoni are both swallowed as pills, have fewer side effects, and have high cure rates.
Dr. Morris Sherman, chairman of the Canadian Liver Foundation, said hepatitis C is much more common in Canada than people realize. There are an estimated 250,000 known cases, but as many as 70 per cent of cases might be undiagnosed. The Liver Foundation is pushing for wider screening.