A new pill which can cure liver-wasting disease in 9 out of 10 patients called Sovaldi, a new pill for hepatitis C, can cost more than $90,000, making it unreachable for many, according to The Associated Press.
Leading medical societies recommend the drug as a first-line treatment, but insurance companies and state Medicaid programs are argue the price is too high, the AP reported. But if Sovaldi didn't exist, insurers would still be paying in the mid-to-high five figures to treat the most common kind of hepatitis C, a new pricing survey indicates.
The cost of this breakthrough drug is highlighting cracks in the U.S. health care system at a time of heightened budget concerns, and the Obama administration has a huge political stake in controlling treatment costs, but its critics may cry rationing, according to the AP.
More than 3 million Americans carry the hepatitis C virus, and many don't realize it, the AP reported. It's a public health concern since the disease can be transmitted by contact with infected blood, and sometimes through sexual activity.
An estimated 15,000 people died from hepatitis C in the U.S. in 2007, when it surpassed AIDS as a cause of death, according to the AP. The illness is complex, with distinct virus types requiring different treatment.
Taken once a day for 12 weeks, Sovaldi greatly reduces the length of interferon treatment, making things more tolerable for patients. the AP reported.
The nation's largest care provider for chronic hepatitis C, the federal Veterans Administration, sees promise, according to the AP. With 175,000 patients, the VA has started more than 1,850 of them on Sovaldi.
"After 20 years in infectious diseases, I never thought we would be in a position to cure this disease," said Dr. David Ross, head of the VA's program, the AP reported.
The California Technology Assessment Forum, a private group that reviews medical treatments, recently voted Sovaldi a "low value," because it would be cost-prohibitive to treat the high number of potentially eligible patients, but after their own assessment, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases issued clinical guidelines recommending that doctors use Sovaldi as a primary treatment, according to the AP.
