The Hepatitis C Trust responds to Simon Stevens speech highlighting NHS investment in hepatitis C treatment

In a speech at the Expo conference in Manchester today, NHS England head Simon Stevens emphasised a Health Service commitment to invest in revolutionary new treatments for hepatitis C.
The Hepatitis C Trust welcomes NHS England’s commitment to increasing the numbers of hepatitis C patients treated and cured with new highly effective oral treatments. The Trust is delighted to see initial evidence that mortality from hepatitis C is beginning to decrease in the United Kingdom. In order to sustain this decline in deaths, and to deliver the government’s commitment to the World Health Organisation target to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030, NHS England must ensure the curative treatments are available to all those infected.
Charles Gore, Chief Executive of The Hepatitis C Trust, said: “The new treatments offer a truly remarkable opportunity to eliminate hepatitis C as a global public health concern, making this deadly virus a thing of the past. The treatments have already transformed the lives of those with most advanced HCV-related disease. The government must now seize this possibility and take bold action in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry to make the availability of these treatments truly universal”.