Issue brief |

Hepatitis C: The Hidden Epidemic

The treatment of people infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in developing countries has long been neglected. Now, an abundance of new drugs in the pipeline is set to transform and simplify treatment of the disease with effective oral medicines. But potentially sky-high prices – together with a lack of political commitment to confront the real burden of the HCV pandemic and overcome access barriers – threaten to prevent these promising medicines from reaching people who need them in developing countries.