Informs on testing services and treatment price in the state
DIMAPUR, JUNE 4 (MExN): While lauding the efforts made by the Nagaland State Health Department for tying up with the World Bank and formulating the Nagaland Health Project (NHP), the Access to Rights and Knowledge (ARK) foundation has urged the project initiatives to also explore possibilities on working on prevention and treatment for Hepatitis C in the state.
The ARK foundation reminded that as has been earlier reported, in Nagaland Hepatitis C has emerged as a huge matter of concern as per some scientific research, where districts like Phek and Wokha projected a worrisome prevalence rate of 8.7 and 20.8 % respectively, while some independent survey reports conducted among Injection drug users (IDUs) showed a much more higher prevalence rate.
“It is not only a matter of concern for the risk populations such as the IDUs and hemophilic group of people but also has shown high prevalence rate at the general society,” it stated. The ARK foundation viewed that challenges lay ahead in terms of a state level data, since no surveillance has been conducted across the country neither for the state per se. This, it said deters program planning and opens very little space for program implementation.
The foundation requested the NHP to make a breakthrough in terms of this, with their technical expertise and existing human and financial resources and start formulating some plans. “Unless there is a start, new infection will happen rampantly and those already infected will continue to die” it warned.
In terms of treatment, the foundation also informed that better, friendlier and more treatment responsive drugs are available in the form of Directly Acting Antivirals (DAAs). “This drug in combination with Sofosbuvir as the backbone regime has shown cure rate of more than 95 percent and that the price is far low as compared to the earlier standard of treatment with Pegylated Interferon. With these new oral Antivirals, people requiring treatment will require lesser treatment duration of ideally 3 months, lesser side effects, cheaper price yet these generic drugs also response better in eliminating the Hepatitis C virus,” it informed.
In this regard, ARK foundation requested the Health Department/NHP to expedite these options and initiate Hepatitis C Prevention and treatment program.
Further, the foundation informed that some pharmaceutical companies are providing free antibody test with nominal charges for Viral Load and Genotyping Test particularly in Kohima and Dimapur District. Along with this test and diagnosis programs, cost for the treatment drugs are also being provided at a price of Rs 8,500/ month which sums up to Rs 25,500/- for three months course of either Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir or Sofosbuvir/Ledipasvir.
“Though another DAA called Velpatasvir, which has the property of being pangenotypic, is very recently hitting the market, prices are still costlier comparatively,” the ARK foundation informed and, in this regard, informed all those requiring treatment to be aware of these provisions available and advised them not to pay more then what has been mentioned.
