• Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Write for Australian Women Online
  • Advertise With Us
  • Horoscopes
  • Style
  • Shoe Boutique
  • eFashion
  • Weight Watchers Australia

Australian Women Online

Business, career, health and lifestyle content for women

  • Home
  • BLOG
  • BOOKS
  • BUSINESS
  • CAREER
  • COOKING
  • HEALTH
  • LIFESTYLE
    • Automotive
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Pets
    • Relationships
    • Your Home
    • Your Money
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • TRAVEL
    • Discount Holidays
You are here: Home / HEALTH / Relief for Hepatitis C sufferers at last with Cures now available on PBS

Relief for Hepatitis C sufferers at last with Cures now available on PBS

2 March 2016 by Australian Women Online

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp

Relief for Hepatitis C sufferers at last with Cures now available on PBSFederal Minister for Health, Sussan Ley, has announced Australians with Hepatitis C would now pay as little as $6.20 a prescription if they are a concession card holder, or $38.30 a prescription as a general patient, for four different cures listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) – saving patients as much as $100,000 for treatment.

When taken as prescribed, the four medicines had a cure rate of over 90 per cent and worked faster and with fewer side effects than anything else previously subsidised on the PBS.

“Australia is one of the first countries in the world to publicly subsidise these cures for every one of our quarter-of-a-million Hep C suffers, no matter what their condition or how they contracted it,” Ms Ley said.

Hepatitis C is an infectious blood borne virus that attacks the liver, causing its inflammation and may lead to cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, liver cancer and in some cases, death. It has six different genotypes.

Ms Ley said there were about 700 deaths attributable to chronic Hep C infection each year, with thousands more suffering a variety of serious liver diseases and conditions.

Deaths from primary liver cancer, for which untreated Hep C is a major driver, are rising faster than for any other cancer, with Ms Ley describing the PBS listings as a “game changer”.

“Essentially one in every 100 Australians has Hep C, with another 10,000 people diagnosed every year, and they come from all walks of life,” Ms Ley said.

“With this announcement there is great hope we can not only halt the spread of this deadly infectious virus, but eliminate it altogether in time. It’s therefore important we tackle this disease head on, and that includes providing these medicines to all Australians, particularly vulnerable populations where rates of infection are high.”

The listing of multiple drug combinations from 1 March 2016, will ensure cures for all types of Hep C are made available to the entire patient population through the PBS.

The medicines are: Sofosbuvir with ledipasvir (Harvoni); Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi); Daclatasvir (Daklinza); and Ribavirin (Ibavyr). For more information about these medications see the Australian Government’s Therapeutic Goods Administration website www.tga.gov.au

Ms Ley said in the majority of cases the medicines would be taken orally, with treatment duration as short as 8 to 12 weeks. She advised people with Hep C to consult their doctor about the best course of treatment for them.

You May Also Like:

Filed Under: HEALTH, Uncategorized

Ads by Google
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

New Content

  • Why Online Casinos Are Becoming a Favourite Pastime for Modern Women
  • Is 2025’s Ford Maverick the Ideal Urban Truck?
  • Australian Lifestyle: The Rise of High-End Condo Communities
  • Off-Road Driving: 10 Amazing Trails in the US to Explore
  • Your Guide to Buy DMT or Magic Mushrooms Online in Australia
  • How to Become a Trusted Home Care Provider in Australia (and Simplify Your Operations in 2025)
  • Empowering Women Through Fashion Entrepreneurship: How Custom Caps Become Catalysts for Change
  • How to Ladder Your Term Deposits for Maximum Flexibility & Returns
  • Women in Wagering: How the Industry is Finally Tapping Female Players
  • Demolition Safety: 10 Essential Safety Tips and Guidelines

Popular Content

  • Moore Weekly Stars
  • Advertise with Australian Women Online
  • Sass & Bide Elegance In Flight Relaxed Fit Short Sleeve Tee Ivory
  • Tigerlily Zoayla Mini Dress
  • CHARLES & KEITH Glitter Sole Slingback Sneakers
  • French Connection Silver Metallic Pleated Skirt
  • Rip Curl Lake Shore Shift Dress Liliac
  • Fashion: Save Coin with Prom Dresses for Sale Online
  • CHARLES & KEITH Large Geometric Handbag
  • French Connection Intarsia Lurex Knit

Australian Women Online © Copyright 2007 - 2025 Deborah Robinson ABN 38 119 171 979 · All Rights Reserved