Hepatitis C patients continue with struggle for new treatments

Macau’s Health Bureau (SSM) has assured the public that the new, revolutionary –
yet costly – Hepatitis C drug, “Sofosbuvir” is under assessment to evaluate results and possible side effects. But several Hepatitis C patients claim that they have been waiting for an extended period of time to be treated with the new drug, which has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its few side effects.
SSM issued a statement yesterday following a TDM report to mark World Hepatitis Day, which was commemorated on Tuesday, stressing that it provides patients with adequate and internationally-recognized treatments.
The Times also reported on the issue last May, and interviewed one Hepatitis C patient who has been waiting for treatment. The Macau resident interviewed by the Times, along with many other patients, are unable to receive the former treatment as they have since developed other health conditions, including cirrhosis.
“There’s no development regarding my case,” she told us yesterday, adding that, “Macau’s government has the means to help us [get the new treatment] but they don’t do it.”
The Macau resident, who wished to remain anonymous, explained, “I have been waiting for over one year to get treatment.”
She questions why SSM is still evaluating the new drug and its side effects when the WHO has already recommended its use.
Reuters reported that the new drug can cost up to USD84,000 for a single course of treatment in the United States.
According to WHO, treatment with Sofosbuvir – made available in 2013 – is recommended in genotypes 1,2,3 and 4 HCV infection, given in a combination with other drugs. The drug is particularly recommended to those who cannot access other treatments available in the market after developing cirrhosis, one of Hepatitis C’s most commonly related diseases, alongside liver cancer.
Sofosbuvir has been listed in Macau but has not yet been used to treat any patient here.
Hepatitis C is often dubbed “the silent killer.” It can cause chronic liver disease that progresses insidiously, and can remain unnoticed for decades.
The WHO states that Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus, which can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis infections, ranging from a mild infection to a serious, lifelong disease.
“The Macau government does not regard Hepatitis C as a serious disease. But it’s an endemic disease in this part of the world. And people haven’t been screened and tested for Hepatitis C. People might not know they have the disease. Now they say there are probably thousands of people with different [types of] Hepatitis here. This is worrying,” the Macau resident recalled.
Doctor Filomena Barros, an infectious disease specialist at the public hospital, told TDM that screening and testing for Hepatitis is being undertaken through annual check-ups.
The WHO estimates that 130 to 150 million people worldwide have contracted a chronic hepatitis C infection.
The most common methods of infection of this bloodborne virus are through unsafe injection practices, inadequate sterilization of medical equipment, and unscreened blood and blood products.