Sovaldi and Harvoni now covered by Pharmacare in BC
VICTORIA – British Columbia is providing public drug plan coverage of
two new, often curative, hepatitis C drugs effective March 24, 2015,
announced Minister of Health Terry Lake today.
People with
hepatitis C will be able to apply tomorrow for coverage under B.C.’s
PharmaCare program of Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and Harvoni (ledipasvir and
sofosbuvir). These new medications cure about 90% or more of people
treated; are easier to take; involve a much shorter course of treatment;
and have fewer side effects than older drugs.
“These two new
drugs can utterly change the lives of people with hepatitis C for the
better,” said B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake. “These drugs represent a
significant advance in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, and more
British Columbians affected by this virus now have significantly better
odds of becoming free of the disease.”
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