A doctor, a pharmacist, a public health activist call for HCV treatment for active users

For many years, the word on the street at Outside In's syringe exchange was that if something else did not kill you, HCV would. However, innovative new drugs that can now cure the disease at any stage of infection have the power to change that story. We can end the disease, but a course of treatment can cost $80,000. To contain costs, Oregon's Medicaid policy has restricted treatment to only those with end stage liver disease and at least six months sobriety from all drugs and alcohol. These restrictions deny treatment to everyone in the disease's transmitting pool and assure a continual supply of customers for the drug manufacturers. A doctor, a pharmacist, and a public health activist present a population-based strategy, a clinical model, and a business case for HCV treatment of active users.