To the Editor: We recently used a modelling approach to describe how the burden of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the associated health care costs in Australia will increase as the infected population ages.1 We showed that increasing the efficacy of antiviral therapy and the number of patients treated could avert the expected increase in deaths from HCV-related liver disease and in the number of patients with end stage HCV-related liver disease. We did not include the specific costs of new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens, as these are yet to be determined in Australia. We know that the cost of the new regimens has elicited discussion internationally about the ability of payers to meet those costs.
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- 1. Sievert W, Razavi H, Estes C, et al. Enhanced antiviral treatment efficacy and uptake in preventing the rising burden of hepatitis C-related liver disease and costs in Australia. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2014; 29 (Suppl 1): 1-9.
William Sievert has been a member of advisory boards and a clinical investigator for Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), Gilead Sciences, Merck, Janssen and AbbVie. Homie Razavi is a director at the Center for Disease Analysis (CDA) and has not received any direct financial remuneration from outside organisations. CDA receives support from public and private firms (Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, and Merck) for non-product related research projects. Alexander Thompson has been a consultant for Gilead, Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), Janssen, Merck, and Roche, and a principal investigator for Gilead, Merck, Roche, BMS, Janssen, Arrowhead and Springbank; he has also received research and grant support from Gilead, Merck, BMS and Abbvie. Amany Zekry has been a member of advisory boards and a clinical investigator for BMS, Gilead Sciences, Merck, and AbbVie. Gregory Dore has been a member of advisory boards and a clinical investigator for BMS, Gilead Sciences, Merck, AbbVie, and Janssen. Stuart Roberts has been a member of advisory boards and a clinical investigator for BMS, Gilead Sciences, Merck, Janssen and AbbVie.