Strategies for Improving Hepatitis C Treatment Access in the United States: State Officials Address High Drug Prices, Stigma, and Building Treatment Capacity.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Curative treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) can alter the course of a devastating epidemic, but high drug prices have contributed to restrictions on HCV treatment access.

Objective

We aimed to learn how state health agencies have responded to the challenges of treatment access for HCV.

Design

Qualitative study using semistructured key informant interviews focused on aspects of HCV treatment access between June 2016 and March 2017. Content analysis was used to identify dominant themes.

Setting

United States.

Participants

Eighteen health officials and treatment advocates across 6 states selected using purposive sampling.

Results

Drug pricing is the most important barrier to access, encouraging restrictive authorization criteria from paye

SUBMITTER: Kapadia SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6309344 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May/Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature