Access to new drugs could save 350 lives from hep C

Three hundred and fifty people seriously ill with hepatitis C need early access to new therapies that could save their lives, according to the Irish Haemophilia Society (IHS).

Of the 12,365 patients in Ireland with hepatitis C, 350 need urgent treatment.

“This group cannot medically tolerate the currently available interferon-based therapies, due to severe liver damage, which increases their risk of death if subjected to these treatments,” said the IHS in a statement. “The 350 people affected require treatments that are not based on interferon, which involves a combination of two drugs.”

The once-off treatment costs about €45,000.

IHS chief executive Brian O’Mahony said immediate action is needed.

“Those who are now living with advanced liver disease as a result of hepatitis C deserve a chance to live and we call on the minister of health and the HSE to agree, without further delay, to an early-access programme which would save lives and save money.”

An expert group, chaired by Dr Deirdre Mulholland of the Department of Health and Children, is examining the new treatment options.