Drug welfare plan incorporated into new hepatitis C drug Maviret (Photo No. 7)
MAVIRET, a new hepatitis C drug, is included in the Australian drug welfare program (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme). MAVIRET takes one pill a day for a treatment cycle of only eight weeks.
About two hundred thousand Australian hepatitis C patients will benefit from the inclusion of the new hepatitis C drug, MAVIRET, in Australia's drug welfare program on Aug. 1, according to Channel 7. MAVIRET contains two direct antiviral drugs that directly block the life cycle of the virus.
Doctors say the virus can be considered a "virological cure" if it drops below test levels 12 weeks after treatment. Australia's federal government plans to invest A $1 billion in new direct antiviral treatment to meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) goal of eliminating hepatitis by 2030.
Professor (Gregory Dore), director of the Colby Institute's (Kirby Institute) viral hepatitis clinical research program, (Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program), said: "include MAVIRET in the drug welfare program. Contribute further to the elimination of hepatitis C as a public health threat in Australia and globally. For patients with hepatitis C, especially those newly treated, the new drug offers another treatment. " Hepatitis C can lead to liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer if it is not treated in a timely manner.