Tragic cost of delaying access to new cures revealed in new Australian report

Nearly 3,000 Australians with hepatitis C have progressed to severe liver disease in the last year, as thousands continue to wait for affordable access to curative medicines recommended for a government subsidy six months ago.

According to a Hepatitis Australia web posting today, new surveillance data released by the Kirby Institute reveals the number of Australians living with hepatitis C-related severe liver disease more than doubled in 10 years (from 18,582 to 44,730) – 2,800 in 2014 alone. The analysis shows that hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplantation in Australia and accounted for an estimated 690 deaths in 2014 – a 146% increase in deaths over a 10-year period.

Hepatitis Australia’s acting chief executive Kevin Marriott said that the data provides compelling evidence for new and improved hepatitis C therapies to be made available on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) without delay.