Latest research shows Australia on track to cure hepatitis C
More Australians have been treated for hepatitis C in the past 12 months than the last decade combined, following the listing of a new generation therapy on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
A report released today by the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney found more than 30,000 Australians were treated for their hepatitis C virus infection in 2016 – a massive increase on the 2,000–3,000 people with hepatitis C treated annually prior to the listing.
The report, Monitoring Hepatitis C Treatment Uptake in Australia, provides information on the first year of the direct-acting antiviral (DAA) hepatitis C treatment program in Australia.
Professor Gregory Dore, Head of the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program at the Kirby Institute, said Australia has achieved one of the most rapid uptakes of treatment worldwide.