England Bidding To Become First Country In The World To Achieve Hepatitis C Elimination

NHS England will work alongside three major drugs companies in a bid to become the world’s first country to eliminate hepatitis C by 2025.

The healthcare body hopes the availability of new medicine created by US pharmaceutical firms Gilead Sciences, Merck & Co and AbbVie will help diagnose and treat those who may be unaware they are infected with the deadly virus.

About 113,000 people are chronically infected with hepatitis C – also known as HCV – in England, according to a 2019 report by government body Public Health England.

The Hepatitis C in England 2019 study also states that most people infected with the condition originate from marginalised and under-served groups in society.

NHS England’s chief executive Simon Stevens said: “It’s not often that the opportunity arises to completely eradicate a disease, but now the NHS is taking practical action to achieve exactly that.

“The NHS’s sophisticated and unashamedly rigorous negotiation on behalf of both patients and taxpayers means we’ve now been able to strike affordable deals with our life sciences partners to save many more lives and meaningfully cut health inequalities.” – Compelo