Tens of thousands of hepatitis C sufferers in New Zealand are set to benefit from a life-saving cure for the disease which will be made available today.
PHARMAC made the decision to fund the new drug, called Marivet.
It's a big step forward for the treatment of hepatitis C in Aotearoa, Health Minister David Clark says.
“There are around 21,000 people diagnosed with hepatitis C in New Zealand and a further 30,000 are thought to have the disease but are undiagnosed. All of these people will potentially benefit from Maviret."
The Hepatitis C Foundation of New Zealand describes the disease as a virus that spreads through blood-to-blood contact and leads to inflammation of the liver.
The foundation says that in New Zealand about 50,000 people have chronic hepatitis C.
Only half of these people are aware they have the virus.
Clark adds that Marivet will cure more than 99% of New Zealanders with the disease, regardless of the type or severity of liver disease and previous treatment.
“This provides a unique opportunity to eliminate hepatitis C from New Zealand. This should save 2,500 lives and removes the need for more than 500 liver transplants.
“What’s more, Maviret is a simpler treatment – just one daily dose for a minimum of 8 weeks. It also has fewer side effects and fewer interactions with other medicines, which should be reassuring for patients."