PUTRAJAYA, May 17 — The Health Ministry is working with a pharmaceutical firm from Egypt to produce a cure for Hepatitis C at a reasonable price, says the minister, Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
He said the current price for Hepatitis C medicine was in the region of RM80,000 and this made the government unable to accommodate the treatment costs of more than 400, 000 patients in the country.
“Previously, the illness was incurable but now, there exists a type of medicine for Hepatitis C. However, due to the high cost of the medicine, the government is collaborating with an international agency to develop a new product to treat the illness,” he told a press conference after launching the Clinical Trial Day celebration at the National Cancer Institute here yesterday.
He said the clinical trial for the new treatment began in December last year and was carried out on 200 patients to observe its effectiveness.
“The ministry aims to acquire the results on its effectiveness within a year. The government hopes for a favourable outcome in its clinical trials and if successful, the product will be sold within US$300.”
Meanwhile, the company can also produce the medicine in the country to give hope to Hepatitis C patients to seek treatment at an affordable price, said Dr Subramaniam. — Bernama
