May 20th 2021
Expanded coverage under a Medicare-Medicaid partnership to treat all prevalent cases of hepatitis C appears to be cost-effective by saving money and improving patient outcomes.
February 15th 2020
Deaths From Hepatitis C Virus Hit All-Time High, CDC Reports
May 4th 2016CDC also published a separate study that found more people in the United States now die from hepatitis C than die from HIV or any other infectious disease. The report comes as The American Journal of Managed Care publishes a special issue on policy concerns over patient access to new therapies that cure HCV.
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The Wider Public Health Value of HCV Treatment Accrued by Liver Transplant Recipients
Advances in treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) have the potential to generate considerable spillover benefits to patients awaiting transplants, especially among those with non—HCV-mediated liver failure.
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Improving HCV Cure Rates in HIV-Coinfected Patients - A Real-World Perspective
The authors examine real-world hepatitis C virus cure rates with direct-acting antivirals among patients coinfected with HIV.
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Costs and Spillover Effects of Private Insurers' Coverage of Hepatitis C Treatment
Expanding private-payer coverage of hepatitis C treatment may yield significant long-term cost savings for private payers, reduced costs to Medicare, and increased social value.
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Value of Expanding HCV Screening and Treatment Policies in the United States
Expanding screening for hepatitis C virus infection may generate substantial benefits for patients and society, but only when paired with expanded treatment policies.
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A Way Out of the Dismal Arithmetic of Hepatitis C Treatment
This special issue presents important new peer-reviewed research, covering issues ranging from access and the out-of-pocket costs of a treatment course, to the real-world consequences-both economic and clinical-of failing to treat.
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Sofosbuvir Initial Therapy Abandonment and Manufacturer Coupons in a Commercially Insured Population
Member cost negatively affects initial medication adherence and manufacturer coupons can decrease member share by up to 98%.
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Real-World Outcomes of Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir in Treatment-Naïve Patients With Hepatitis C
In the treatment of hepatitis C virus, the gap between efficacy and real-world effectiveness narrows with improved tolerability and ease of use.
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This Week in Managed Care: March 19, 2016
March 19th 2016This week, the top managed care stories include Humana announcing executive bonuses are now partially tied to value, Veterans Affairs has expanded access of hepatitis C drugs to all veterans in the system, and CDC releases guidelines on prescribing opioids.
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Cancer Deaths Drop, With Liver Cancer the Exception
March 9th 2016The report found higher death rates from liver cancer among the age group most at risk for hepatitis C virus, those born between 1945 and 1965. But increased rates of diabetes, obesity, and alcohol use are to blame for rising liver cancer deaths as well.
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Comparing 3 Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents for HCV: A Review of the Evidence
February 21st 2016A review of evidence of the clinical safety and efficacy of Zepatier found that the hepatitis C virus treatment appears to have a less risky safety profile than Sovaldi and a similar safety profile as Harvoni.
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What We're Reading: Some Clinical Trial Results Are Never Disclosed
February 18th 2016What we're reading, February 18, 2016: one-third of clinical trial results are never published; Sandoz challenges rule for notices of biosimilar launches; and hepatitis C combination drug could reduce treatment to just 4 weeks.
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What We're Reading: Merck's New HCV Drug Increases Competition
January 29th 2016What we're reading, January 29, 2016: newly approved hepatitis C cure will increase competition; California will vote on a proposition to control the cost of prescription drugs; and a special report details drug shortages and rationing decisions.
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What We're Reading: Can a State Sue Gilead Over the High Price of Its HCV Drugs?
January 28th 2016What we're reading, January 28, 2016: Massachusetts' attorney general is threatening to sue Gilead Sciences over the high prices of its hepatitis C drugs; Anthem reports losses on Obamacare health plans; and consumers are satisfied with health coverage and limited networks.
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Urban Emergency Departments Play a Critical Role in Identifying Undiagnosed HCV Patients
August 7th 2015An emergency department screening and testing program based on birth cohort screening and injectable drug use found a high prevalence of the hepatitis C virus antibody among the cohorts tested, and identified several barriers to clinical implementation of the process.
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Treating 10% of California's Hep C Patients Could Cost the State Billions, Estimates CAHP Report
July 29th 2015A report released by the California Association of Health Plans projects a huge cost expenditure even if a small proportion of the state's hep C patients are treated with the potentially curative medications.
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The arrival of Sovaldi caused pharmacy benefit managers to adjust their strategies for controlling prices for breakthrough therapies. On the eve of a new drug class for cholesterol hitting the market, Express Scripts' Dr. Steve Miller tells Evidence-Based Diabetes Management in an interview how the PBM is working on behalf of managed care in a changed environment.
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Medicaid Enrollees With Hepatitis C Face Reimbursement Challenges
June 30th 2015Heterogeneity in Medicaid coverage of the anti-viral agent sofosbuvir is rampant across the United States, with varying reimbursement criteria and lack of conformation to recommendations by professional infectious disease organizations.
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