Manitoba’s move to cover Hep C drug a game-changer: doctor

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This article was published 12/06/2019 (2305 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba could meet the World Health Organization’s ambitious goals for the eradication of hepatitis C within the next five years — if baby boomers step up and get themselves tested, a local doctor says.

The infection is spread by blood contact — shared needles, tattoos, or blood transfusion — so the best way to prevent new cases is to treat existing ones, said Dr. Kelly Kaita, who runs the viral hepatitis unit at Health Sciences Centre.

WHO’s target to end viral hepatitis as a public health concern is 2030, but Kaita said Manitoba may be able to beat it.

As of May 31, the province will cover the cost of a new drug, Maviret, for eligible Pharmacare patients. Compared to past treatment options, it has far fewer side-effects and takes eight weeks to work, instead of six months to a year.

“The therapies were comparable to receiving chemotherapy for cancer. In fact, some of my patients who had cancer (as well) said the chemotherapy was easier to tolerate,” Kaita said.

Infection rates peaked in Manitoba in 2001. As of 2016, it remained one of the provinces with numbers above the national average (34.9, compared to 31 per 100,000), though rates are higher in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Yukon and Alberta.

According to federal government statistics, up to 44 per cent of people may not realize they’re infected, as symptoms can take years to manifest. If untreated, it can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, a need for a liver transplant or death.

Kaita said the new drugs are a game-changer.

When the hepatitis investigation centre started in the early 1990s, cure rates were around five per cent to 10 per cent. Now, it’s as high as 95 per cent.

“We’ll probably start seeing a decline in the total numbers of those infected in Manitoba, and probably across the country, within the next three to five years,” said Kaita, adding baby boomers — or anyone born between 1945-75 — to take a hard look at their past.

“A lot of the infected individuals acquired the infection when recreational drug use was quite common, in the ’60s and ’70s, so a lot of people have been infected without even knowing about it,” Kaita said. “And because of the stigma associated with having chronic hepatitis C, a lot of the individuals don’t seek attention.”

Kaita said screening is also getting easier — some clinics are beginning to offer “point of care” testing, which takes only a drop of blood and 30 minutes.

“If you think you have a risk, if you’re a baby boomer or if you received blood or blood products prior to 1990 — just get tested,” he said.

tvanderhart@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @tessavanderhart