Hep C Discussion Forum

NHS England agrees funding for new drug treatments for Hep C totalling almost a quarter of a billion pounds.

In what will be the NHS` single largest investment in new treatments this year, NHS England has today (10 June 2015) announced it will be investing an estimated further £190 million in new cures for hepatitis C, on top of the approximately £40 million extra which began last year.

The widening of NHS England`s `early access` scheme to patients with cirrhosis will see an expected additional 3,500 patients accessing treatment in this year, representing an additional investment of around £190m. This is additional to the new funding introduced last year for patients at imminent risk of liver failure, benefiting around 1000 people so far.

Richard Jeavons, NHS England`s Director of Specialised Services, said: "At a time when funding is inevitably constrained across the NHS this is a huge new investment; in fact it`ll be the NHS` single largest new treatment expansion this year. That`s why we`re also running a competitive tendering process in parallel, to seek to bring down the price of these very expensive new drugs."

Full article..

http://hepctrust.org.uk/news/jun-2015/thousands-more-patients-be-cured-hepatitis-