Few adults diagnosed with hepatitis C virus infections receive timely treatment with antiviral drugs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday.
Treatment rates were lowest among patients in state-administered health plans, with only 23 percent of Medicaid recipients and 28 percent of Medicare recipients receiving the drugs within a year of diagnosis, the study showed. That rate was only 35 percent among patients with private insurance.
Lower odds of treatment were also seen in states with Medicaid restrictions.
Hepatitis C causes liver inflammation, with results ranging from mild illness to chronic, lifelong liver scarring that can lead to cirrhosis, cancer, and the need for liver transplantation.
In 2016, an estimated 2.4 million people in the United States were living with chronic hepatitis C infection, according to CDC data.
Hepatitis C is a lucrative market for drugmakers. Several big pharma names including Gilead, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Abbvie have antiviral drugs in the market with prices ranging from $24,000 to $95,000 for a 12-week course.
The CDC recommends a number of steps to ensure patients receive cost-effective and timely treatments including expanding the number of primary care providers treating hepatitis C and increasing screening for the infection.
“We estimate about 40 percent of people with hepatitis C in the U.S. are unaware of their infection— testing is the first step to accessing curative treatment,” said Carolyn Wester, director of the CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis.
