134th WHO Executive Board meeting – Agenda item 10.5: Preparedness, surveillance and response: Hepatitis
New oral treatments set to become available in coming months will revolutionize hepatitis C treatment. These open the door to pan-genotypic, well-tolerated regimens with high cure rates and radically shorter treatment duration.
Treatment simplification, decentralisation, task-shifting and scale up of hepatitis C should now be possible in low and middle income countries.
However, for government programmes to be able to scale up and address the true burden of the epidemic, new oral treatments must be affordable. Research has shown that these drugs could potentially cost less than $500 for a package of diagnosis and treatment.
Similarly, the treatment scenario for hepatitis B could drastically change through increased screening and securing quality-assured, affordable sources of existing drugs like tenofovir and entecavir.
While the viral hepatitis resolution includes some of these points, MSF feels it should be strengthened in the following ways:
- Member States should be urged to implement hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination
- Price-reducing generic competition should be stressed as a key intervention to ensure access to revolutionary treatments for hepatitis C. Language that supports use of the public health flexibilities to secure generic competition should be protected. Patent monopolies should not restrict treatment to only those who can afford to pay.
- WHO should be urged to include hepatitis C drugs in the Prequalification programme.
- Funders such as the Global Fund, UNITAID and PEPFAR should include hepatitis B and C treatment and care as part of their funding priorities.
Although the HIV/AIDS experience shows that civil society pressure plays a vital role, ultimately it is the political will of governments to take measures to protect public health that will lead to affordable treatment. Given these unprecedented opportunities to address viral hepatitis, MSF urges the WHO Executive Board not to miss this key opportunity to turn the tide of viral hepatitis.