Advocacy

Updated Recommendations

Updated Recommendations“All patients with CHC [a chronic hepatitis C] infection should be considered for treatment, regardless of fibrosis score. Given the potential impact on health system sustainability of treating all patients with CHC infection on a first-come basis, priority for treatment should be given to patients with more severe disease.” (CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee, page 2, May 18, 2016)

Updated CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee Recommendations

The Canadian Drug Expert Committee (CDEC) updated their recommendations for the hep C treatments: Harvoni, Holkira Pak, Sovaldi, and Daklinza. They now recommend that the liver fibrosis stage F2 or greater requirement for treatment through PharmaCare should be removed. Where once their clinical criteria for treatment with Harvoni, for example, read, “Patients must have a liver fibrosis stage of F2 or greater before they are eligible for PharmaCare coverage“, the same report sections for Harvoni now read:

Recommendation:

CDEC recommends that ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) be reimbursed for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (CHC) genotype 1 infection in adults, if the following conditions are met.

Conditions:
  • Treatment should be initiated by physicians with experience in the management of CHC patients.
  • Drug plan costs for LDV/SOF should not exceed the drug plan costs of other interferon (IFN)-free regimens for the treatment of CHC. (CDEC, May 2016)

Additional Noteworthy Updates

The CDEC also recommended/stated that:

  • Disease symptoms and other health concerns be considered when deciding to treat or not treat, or as it is written in the report, “Extrahepatic manifestations are additional considerations in defining disease severity.”
  • The more sever patients be treated first.
  • Treatment is likely cost-effective across all METAVIR scores. Detailed explanations of this are included in the recommendation reports (links below).

A Possible Next Step for Hep C Advocates

A possible next step for hep C advocates may be to highlight these changes and to ask governments, who follow the CDEC recommendations, to follow suit.

The Links to the Updated CADTH Canadian Drug Expert Committee Recommendations and Summary Reports on Drugs for Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

  • Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir)
  • Holkira Pak (ombitasvir, paritaprevir, dasabuvir, and ritonavir)
  • Sovaldi (sofosbuvir)
  • Daklinza (daclatasvir)
  • Drugs for Chronic Hepatitis C Infection: Summary Report

About CADTH’s Canadian Drug Expert Committee (CDEC)

CADTH’s CDEC is an advisory board made up of experts and public members (for a lay perspective) that makes recommendations to the publicly funded drug plans about what and what not to cover and how to cover it.