Well I assume this would throw a spanner in the works of the buyers club.
Sofosbuvir with ledipasvir (Harvoni); Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi); Daclatasvir (Daklinza); and Ribavirin (Ibavyr) will be subsidised for all hepatitis C sufferers, no matter their age or method of infection.
Health groups are hailing a $1 billion investment in groundbreaking hepatitis C treatments as an early Christmas present for the 230,000 Australians living with the disease.
Health Minister Sussan Ley says the federal government's decision to subsidise four new-generation drugs that can cure hepatitis C and hopefully eradicate it from Australia within a generation is a 'game changer'.
Listing them on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will drop the price from around $100,000 to just $6.10 for concessional patients and $37.70 for general patients from March 2016.
'This combination of breakthrough cures has a success rate of more than 90 per cent and is faster and has fewer side effects than anything currently available,' Ms Ley said on Sunday.
In most cases the medicines will be taken orally for eight to 12 weeks.
Hepatitis Australia CEO Helen Tyrrell praised the government for its leadership on the issue and predicted a more joyous Christmas for many people with hepatitis C who can now look forward to a cure.
'If we can combine access to new treatments with improved access to needle and syringe programs across the country and in all populations, we have a real chance of preventing deaths and eliminating hepatitis C as a public health concern within a generation,' she said.
Federal opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King has welcomed the listing, but says patients shouldn't have to wait another three months to gain access to the subsidised drugs.
The hepatitis C virus damages the liver, leading to liver scarring (cirrhosis), liver cancer and liver failure. About 700 Australians die from complications associated with hepatitis C each year.
Sofosbuvir with ledipasvir (Harvoni); Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi); Daclatasvir (Daklinza); and Ribavirin (Ibavyr) will be subsidised for all hepatitis C sufferers, no matter their age or method of infection.
AAP
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