Any British Columbian living with chronic hepatitis C now is able to access treatment, regardless of the severity of their disease, Health Minister Adrian Dix announced today.
In addition to expanding coverage to all British Columbians, a new chronic hepatitis C drug has been added to the PharmaCare formulary.
“In years past, a hepatitis C diagnosis was a stressful and lifelong struggle,” said Dix. “I’m pleased to share that, as of today, anyone in B.C. living with this now-curable virus will have a choice of several treatment options – all of which are fully funded under PharmaCare.”
The new drug, sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir, also known as Vosevi, received a positive recommendation from the national Common Drug Review in January 2018. The drug was developed for adult patients with difficult-to-treat chronic hepatitis C that has been unsuccessfully treated with other medications.
“Drug treatments for chronic hepatitis C continue to improve and evolve,” added Dix. “Adding Vosevi to the PharmaCare formulary will ensure that patients have multiple treatment options available to them, which is especially important if a particular drug is not performing to its best ability.”
An estimated 73,000 British Columbians live with this virus. The list cost to the health system for chronic hepatitis C treatment has ranged from $45,000 to over $100,000 per patient, depending on the drug and disease progression.
The following chronic hepatitis C medications are covered under PharmaCare:
- Daklinza (daclatasvir)
- Epclusa (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir)
- Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir)
- Sovaldi (sofosbuvir)
- Vosevi (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir) – new
- Zepatier (elbasvir/grazoprevir)
Each of these treatment options are highly effective. Doctors will consider the patient’s medical needs, along with PharmaCare’s coverage criteria for each drug, and apply for the drug they feel is the best option for the patient.