Call to action: give your opinion on Boceprevir and Telaprevir
An urgent call to action for people with hepatitis C: the Government needs your opinion on new and more effective Hepatitis C treatment drugs
Boceprevir and Telaprevir are two new drugs that have been shown to be very effective in treating hepatitis C. In conjunction with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavarin, they have been shown to increase the success rate of treatment by up to 30%. They are especially effective in people with genotype 1, the hardest to treat type of hepatitis C.
This is great news for many people living with hepatitis C as it increases their treatment options and chance of a cure, especially those at increased risk of developing cirrhosis and/or liver cancer.
The current treatment of Pegylated Interferon and Ribavarin is available to people at almost no cost as they are subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
The PBS is the main mechanism via which the Government subsidises the cost of medications used by the community. Under the PBS, items are only available as pharmaceutical benefits following approval of a listing recommendation by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) – an independent expert body that includes health professionals and a consumer representative.
Both Telaprevir and Boceprevir are now under consideration by the PBAC at their March meeting.
Hepatitis Victoria supports the inclusion of these drugs on the PBS. We believe that doing so will greatly benefit Australians living with hepatitis C.
The PBAC welcomes your comments whether you are a person with hepatitis C, family member, member of the public, health professional or member of a consumer interest group. Your view is relevant whether you have never been treated, been treated with success, or been treated without a viral clearance.
To let the Government know why you think both Boceprevir and Telaprevir should be listed under the PBS scheme, comment here. Comments have to be lodged by Wednesday the 8th of February
The more people that share their views and opinions in support of listing these new drugs, the greater the chance they will be listed by the PBS.
To access the agenda of the upcoming March meeting of PBAC, click here.
