The new hepatitis C drug is very effective, but also very expensive. Sofosbuvir, a new treatment lasting 3 to 6 months, is marketed by the American Gilead.
Are innovative drugs too expensive? Voices are being raised for health authorities to better take into account the cost-quality ratio of medical treatments. A therapeutic revolution against hepatitis C is underway. New molecules make it possible to cure patients in more than 90% of cases. But this new treatment, lasting 3 to 6 months and marketed by the American company Gilead, costs 90,000 euros in France.
The old treatment by injection of Interferon, often badly tolerated because of many undesirable effects, was carried out over a period of 12 to 24 months, for a lower cost of 800 euros.
The new drug comes in the form of tablets to be taken orally, which are very well tolerated. In France, it is estimated that approximately 250,000 people are infected with hepatitis C. And even if only half of the patients were treated, the cost would correspond to the budget of the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) for 2014. Dr Jean-Daniel Flaysakier, from the editorial staff of France 2, tells us more.
