The deal kicks off the end of hepatitis C

he Hepatitis C Drama 2015 saw a big change. direct acting antiviral therapy For the first time, patients are given a chance to beat their disease. However, the high cost of these drugs in the international market has created a gap that is difficult for Western economies to bridge. A Negotiating against the clock with the pharmaceutical industry and subsequently allow for a strategic plan to address the pathology Spain Overcome all obstacles and become an example for other European neighbors to follow later. This is the beginning of the end of the disease.

Ruben Moreno is one of the tricks of this paradigm shift.doctor named health secretary Just a few months ago, as part of the BJP ministerial team, Alfonso Alonso.his landing signaled a threat Ebola virus This monopolized the media spotlight for the industry, but it didn’t do that much damage. “We immediately realized there is a bigger problem It’s a hepatitis C crisis, not many people talk about it, but all patients are very concerned,” he told medical writing.

To date, the fight against this condition has been the use of Drugs with reduced efficacy

In many cases, this creates side effects that lead patients to abandon treatment. This reality determines the life expectancy of those affected, who may eventually die from the following derivative problems: cirrhosis or liver cancer. Nearly 95,000 people have been diagnosed in Spain alone.

Against this background, the first virotherapy emerged Efficiency greater than 97%.However, its price is approximately EUR 60,000 per patient Against the backdrop of exponential growth in infections. “Some countries paused for a year to analyze its safety and efficacy. But the fact is They do it because it cannot be assumed‘, Moreno pointed out.

Negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry

Minister of Health, who also presided over the interministerial committee on drug prices CIPM is one of the agencies tasked with conducting separate negotiations with different antiviral suppliers in an attempt to reach a deal that would democratize access to antivirals. “Within six weeks, we raced against the clock to manage to bring down the then-current price from 3.05 billion to 721 million”has been exposed

In order to achieve the price reduction, he must apply for the first time the so-called “Sustainable Development Agreement” There are four distinct categories: shared risk, maximum cost cap, maximum cost per patient, and price-volume agreement.strategy so far Have not had any drug implants In the National Health System (SNS).

“Companies understand they can wait but patients can’t”

The other leg of the table has undergone development Strategic plan to tackle hepatitis C Government approval and submission to the National Health System Interregional Committee.Among its keys, there is a display record the number of affected patients, regulatory development Priorities for treatment strategies Or new coordination and research measures in pathology.

Moreno recognized that one of the most difficult challenges at the time was convincing the patients themselves that they would have a “quick answer” Fighting the infection after the difficulties encountered by the public administration in previous years.plan over time More than 160,000 patients have been covered. “Everyone agrees that this success is unparalleled in the history of our nation’s health,” he celebrated.

The future of hepatitis C in SNS

Good results make Spain one of the leading countries in this field The race to permanently eradicate the diseaseIt is the plan of the World Health Organization (WTO) for 2030. However, the former health secretary believes that efforts are still needed to reach the 2030 target. He calculates that there are 20,000 undiagnosed patients in the country.

Doctors and scientists have his own secrets to achieve this.On the one hand, he sees the need for a Age Screening Strategy allow all citizens to make Hepatitis C marker assay sometime in your life.On the other hand, a more detailed analysis of “Vulnerable Groups People who are at higher risk of active infection but do not usually use the sanitation system.

With this dual strategy, Moreno predicts, 20,000 undiagnosed patients could be treated with antiviral drugs within a few months and eventually overcome their disease.think it’s very reasonable Hepatitis C could disappear from Spain by 2024 or 2025. This will be the tail end of the success story,” he concluded on the same day. World Hepatitis Day.