Hepatitis C Management

Ask The Experts

Question:

What is the economic impact of not treating an HCV patient, as patients in my country cannot afford pegylated interferon treatment?

The economic impact of hepatitis C can only be measured after knowing the prevalence of a disease in the specific country and the natural history of disease in this specific population. The economic impact in the United States has been assessed by several studies and shown to be very high despite the lower prevalence of HCV in the United States compared with some countries in the Middle East such as Egypt. It has also been shown that treating hepatitis C patients in the United States may save money and lives despite the cost of therapy and relatively low likelihood of sustained viral eradication (50% or less).

For more information, see the team approach section in the Hepatitis C Management monograph.

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