Nov 13 Medicare will spend $9 billion on Hepatitis-C drugs this year By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press Medicare spending on breakthrough medications for hepatitis C will nearly double this year, passing $9 billion, according to new government figures. Continue reading
Jun 24 California caps what patients pay for pricey drugs. Will other states follow? By April Dembosky, KQED Expensive specialty medicines used to treat cancer and chronic illnesses have forced some very ill Americans to choose between getting proper treatment and paying their rent. To ease the financial burden, the California agency that governs the state’s Affordable Care… Continue reading
Jun 17 Insurers choke on price of new hepatitis C-curing pill By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Your money or your life? Sovaldi, a new pill for hepatitis C, cures the liver-wasting disease in 9 of 10 patients, but treatment can cost more than $90,000. Leading medical societies recommend the drug as a first-line treatment,… Continue reading
Apr 23 Watch New Hepatitis-C drug raises hope at a hefty price By PBS News Hour A new drug has a 90 to 100 percent chance of curing the Hepatitis-C virus, but costs tens of thousands of dollars for a course of treatment. The announcement by the manufacturer that it earned more than $2 billion in… Continue watching