First-to-market status will be important to US formulary inclusion for hepatitis C treatments

Only about half (53%) of surveyed pharmacy directors in the USA expect their health plans to cover both Merck & Co's boceprevir and Vertex/Johnson & Johnson/Mitsubishi Tanabe's telaprevir, when they enter the market for the treatment of the hepatitis C virus, finds a new report from HealthLeaders-InterStudy and Fingertip Formulary.

The report, titled Formulary Advantages Among Hepatitis C Virus Therapies: Pharmacy Directors Do Not Yet Understand the Pharmacoeconomic Incentives to Cover Emerging Therapies, says that around one-third of surveyed pharmacy directors expect to cover one of these drugs, but have not determined which one.

Surveyed pharmacy directors estimate approximately one-third of hepatitis C virus patients fail drug therapy. Additionally, they say they expect an average of 58% of their patients who fail drug therapy will seek additional therapy when new agents reach the market.