NHSO added new hepatitis C medication to scheme
 
The National Health Security Board added sofosbuvir/velpatasvir into Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS)’s benefits package.
 
Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir is a fixed-dose combination regimen for the treatment of hepatitis C in adults. It is more than 90% effective for all hepatitis C genotypes.
 
Nimit Tai-udom, NHSO board represents civil society, said that the medication was added into the National List of Essential Medicines, a list of medications used in the hospitals and public health services in Thailand. The medicines will be provided to people with high risks of contracting hepatitis C including HIV-infected persons and injecting drug users.
 
Disease Control Department director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong called hepatitis C “the silent killer.” No symptoms are presented in infected persons until they reach the end stage, leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
 
“In the past, the treatment for each type of hepatitis C required different medication, and the screening test was complex and costly. [Healthcare schemes] did not cover the test for all types hepatitis C, making many infected persons reached unable to access treatment and died eventually,” said Dr Opas.
 
“Now we have the new medication for all types of hepatitis C in the benefits package. We encourage every risk group to get tests. The faster they get tests, the less likely they would end up in a severe stage.”
 
The study conducted by Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP) shows that giving sofosbuvir/velpatasvir to 4,000 patients can save 11.14 million baht of spending on lab tests and 45.5 million baht of medication fees, when compared to the conventional testing and medication.
 
“We can save the budget and increase the treatment access for the risk groups and infected persons,” said NHSO Secretary-General Sakchai Kanjanawatana.
 
Dr Pisit Tangkijvanich, President of Thai Association for the Study of the Liver, said that the introduction of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir into UCS would help reduce the workload of hepatologists, specialized doctors not widely available in Thailand.  
 
The physicians can prescribe the medication to patients with an early stage of hepatitis C, saving time for hepatologists to focus on severe cases.
 
He added that Thailand set a target to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030, aligning with the goal set by the World Health Organization (WHO).