丙型肝炎是由丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）引起的肝脏疾病。它的影响范围从轻度到严重。如果没有治疗，慢性丙型肝炎会导致严重的肝脏疤痕，甚至可能导致肝衰竭或癌症。

About3 million peoplein the United States live with chronic hepatitis C. Most of them don’t feel ill or know that they’ve contracted the disease.

几年前，患有丙型肝炎的患者实质上有两种治疗方法：pe节制干扰素和利巴韦林。这些疗法并不能治愈所有服用这些疾病的疾病，并且会带来一长串的副作用。另外，它们仅作为注射。

现在，新的抗病毒药物可用于药丸。它们工作迅速，比较旧的治疗方法更有效。这些药物比 90 percent 在仅8到12周内服用它们的人中，副作用比较老的药物少。

新的丙型肝炎治疗的一个缺点是它们的价格很高。继续阅读以了解丙型肝炎药物的高成本以及如何覆盖它们。

More than a dozen treatments are available to treat hepatitis C. Older drugs still used include:

  • peginterferon alfa-2a (Pegasys)
  • peginterferon alfa-2b（钉 - 内龙）
  • 利巴韦林（Copegus，rebetol，ribasphere）

新的抗病毒药物包括：

  • daclatasvir (Daklinza)
  • Elbasvir/Grazoprevir（Zepatier）
  • glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (Mavyret)
  • Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir（Harvoni）
  • Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir（Technivie）
  • ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir and dasabuvir
    (Viekira Pak)
  • simeprevir (Olysio)
  • 沙发布维尔（Sovaldi）
  • sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (Epclusa)
  • sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir (Vosevi)

您的医生处方的这些药物中的哪一种或药物组合取决于：

  • your virus genotype
  • the extent of your liver damage
  • which other treatments you’ve had in the past
  • 您还有其他什么医疗状况

Antiviral drugs for hepatitis C are very effective, but they come at a steep cost. Just one Sovaldi pill costs $1,000. A full 12-week course of treatment with this drug costs $84,000.

The price of other hepatitis C drugs is also high:

  • Harvoni的费用为12周的治疗费用为94,500美元
  • Mavyret costs $39,600 for a 12-week treatment
  • Zepatier costs $54,600 for a 12-week treatment
  • Technivie costs $76,653 for a 12-week treatment

丙型肝炎药物由于对它们的需求量很高，以及将其推向市场的高成本。开发一种新药，在临床试验中测试它，营销可以经营制药公司将近9亿美元。

增加高昂成本的另一个因素是缺乏代表消费者协商药物成本的国家医疗保健系统。其他制药公司也很少竞争。结果，丙型肝炎药物制造商基本上可以收取他们想要的一切。

Prices could drop in the future as more pharmaceutical companies get into the hepatitis C drug market. The introduction of generic versions of these drugs should help drive costs down.

并非每个患有丙型肝炎的人都需要接受这些昂贵的治疗方法。最多 25％ of people with hepatitis C, the virus clears on its own within a few months without any need for medication. Your doctor will monitor you closely to see if your condition persists, and then decide if you need treatment.

Some insurance companies try to combat the high cost of hepatitis C drugs by rejecting coverage for them. More than三分之一of people were denied coverage for these drugs by their insurance company, according to a 2018 study in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Private insurance companies rejected more claims for these drugs — over52％- 比医疗保险或医疗补助。

Medicare and Medicaid are more likely to approve hepatitis C drug coverage. But with Medicaid, you might have to meet certain requirements to receive these drugs, such as:

  • getting a referral from a specialist
  • having signs of liver scarring
  • 显示您已经停止使用的证据
    酒精或非法药物，如果这是一个问题

If you don’t have health insurance, your insurance company refuses to pay for your hepatitis C drugs, or your out-of-pocket costs are too high for you to pay, assistance is available from the following companies and organizations:

Some pharmaceutical companies also offer their own patient assistance or support programs to help cover the cost of their drugs:

Some doctor’s offices have a dedicated staff member available to help patients cover their medication costs. If you’re having difficulty paying for your hepatitis C drugs, ask your doctor for advice.