The province of British Columbia is inviting input from the public about coverage for Maviret® (glecaprevir-pibrentasvir), a drug used to treat hepatitis C in pediatric patients, in two different formulations:
- Granules for pediatric patients between the ages of 3 and 12. Taken in granule format, this drug is the only existing treatment for children under the age of 12, or who weigh less than 45 kg.
- Tablets for pediatric patients between the ages of 3 and 18.
Having access to this treatment allows children to clear the virus over 96% of the time.1https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8548879/ Curing hepatitis C decreases risk of long-term health issues and helps diminish the stigma children with hepatitis C can experience.
BC Hepatitis Network will submit a survey response as a patient group, as will PAN. Together, we encourage all organizations and groups who support people with lived and living experience of hepatitis C to consider registering as a patient group and completing the survey–becoming a recognized patient group is an easy process.
Individuals (patients, parents and caregivers) can also complete a survey and do not need to register. The deadline for completing the survey is Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at 11:59 PM.
BC residents may complete a Your Voice survey if they:
- Have the medical condition the drug would treat (or has treated), or
- Are a parent/caregiver for someone with the condition the drug would treat, or
- Represent a patient group for BC patients with the condition the drug would treat.
PharmaCare regularly reviews drugs to decide whether to provide coverage. In making a coverage decision, PharmaCare considers a drug’s safety, how well it works, how much it costs, and how it compares to other, similar drugs. Another consideration is feedback provided by people with experience using the product under review and/or living with the condition it would treat.
If you’re interested in learning more about sharing your thoughts, visit Your Voice to learn about the process, see sample surveys, and submit your views. Scroll to Glecaprevir-Pibrentasvir (Maviret®) or click here to go directly to the survey once you’re ready to start.
If you wish to submit feedback without completing the Your Voice survey, please email deb[at]bchep.org.
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