1 September 2015 - New drugs to treat hepatitis C are tremendously effective — and tremendously costly — raising fears that the high prices might outstrip the ability of public and private insurers to pay. Fortunately, competitive market forces and hard-nosed bargaining by insurers for big discounts are going a long way toward resolving the problem.

The drugs are sorely needed. The hepatitis C virus caused nearly 20,000 deaths in the United States in 2013, many in patients who were also infected with H.I.V., the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, a double whammy that triples their risk of liver disease.

There are four new drugs approved to treat hepatitis C: Sovaldi and Harvoni, made by Gilead Sciences; Viekira Pak, made by AbbVie; and Daklinza, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb. The cost for Sovaldi is $84,000 for a standard 12-week course of treatment, which breaks down to about $1,000 for each pill, taken daily. State Medicaid programs typically obtain discounts, but prices still generally exceed $600 a pill. Harvoni is even more expensive, with a list price of about $95,000 for a 12-week course of treatment without a discount.

For more details, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/opinion/costly-hepatitis-c-drugs-for-everyone.html?emc=edit_th_20150902&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=20088616&_r=0