By Chung Ah-young
Patients who were infected with hepatitis C at Dana Hyeondae Clinic in Seoul plan to file a class action suit against the hospital due to the high treatment costs they will be forced to endure.
Liver Korea, an organization consisting of liver disease patients, said Tuesday that the victims are obtaining the services of a lawyer to represent them in the lawsuit.
As of Tuesday, 82 among a total of 2,268 patients who visited Dana Clinic since 2008 have tested positive for hepatitis C due to the reuse of disposable syringes when they were given injections, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
Among the 82 patients, 39 have genotype 1a infection, which tends to have a higher relapse rate than other types of hepatitis C.
Harvoni, manufactured by the U.S.-based Gilead Sciences, is known as the most effective medicine to cure hepatitis C in patients with genotype 1a. In Korea, the medicine was approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in September.
But the cost is high, as the medicine is not yet covered by health insurance. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service is currently reviewing the medicine to decide how much the insurance will cover.
Without the insurance, the medicine costs some 49 million won ($42,000) for a 12-week course of treatment, or 600,000 won per pill, according to the organization.
Lim Young-suk, a doctor at Asan Medical Center, said in a recent press meeting held by Gilead Sciences Korea that Harvoni will be effective in curing genotype 1 hepatitis C patients in the Dana case.
Due to the high cost, though, the patients are seeking to have the clinic pay for the drug through their lawsuit.
However, experts said that the hospital probably won't be able to pay the compensation, which will be worth tens of billions won for the victims.
The victims are also calling for financial aid from the government, and demanding that it make the decision about the insurance coverage of the medicine sooner than scheduled.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare, however, said that there was no regulation about a government subsidy to support such treatment costs, and it was hard to make the decision sooner than scheduled due to the review procedure.
As for the government's lukewarm action, some patients said that they are considering getting generic versions of Harvoni, which are available in some Asian countries and cost about 11,000 won per pill.
Under a related law, people can obtain medicine on their own from other countries, although the drugs might not be approved here.
Experts warn that such drugs do not guarantee safety and efficacy because they are not authorized by reliable institutions.
"It is important for the government to follow procedures. But if it quickly decides on the insurance coverage of Harvoni, it can reduce the risk of death from the liver disease over the long term," Lim said.
Patients who were infected with hepatitis C at Dana Hyeondae Clinic in Seoul plan to file a class action suit against the hospital due to the high treatment costs they will be forced to endure.
Liver Korea, an organization consisting of liver disease patients, said Tuesday that the victims are obtaining the services of a lawyer to represent them in the lawsuit.
As of Tuesday, 82 among a total of 2,268 patients who visited Dana Clinic since 2008 have tested positive for hepatitis C due to the reuse of disposable syringes when they were given injections, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
Among the 82 patients, 39 have genotype 1a infection, which tends to have a higher relapse rate than other types of hepatitis C.
Harvoni, manufactured by the U.S.-based Gilead Sciences, is known as the most effective medicine to cure hepatitis C in patients with genotype 1a. In Korea, the medicine was approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in September.
But the cost is high, as the medicine is not yet covered by health insurance. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service is currently reviewing the medicine to decide how much the insurance will cover.
Without the insurance, the medicine costs some 49 million won ($42,000) for a 12-week course of treatment, or 600,000 won per pill, according to the organization.
Lim Young-suk, a doctor at Asan Medical Center, said in a recent press meeting held by Gilead Sciences Korea that Harvoni will be effective in curing genotype 1 hepatitis C patients in the Dana case.
Due to the high cost, though, the patients are seeking to have the clinic pay for the drug through their lawsuit.
However, experts said that the hospital probably won't be able to pay the compensation, which will be worth tens of billions won for the victims.
The victims are also calling for financial aid from the government, and demanding that it make the decision about the insurance coverage of the medicine sooner than scheduled.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare, however, said that there was no regulation about a government subsidy to support such treatment costs, and it was hard to make the decision sooner than scheduled due to the review procedure.
As for the government's lukewarm action, some patients said that they are considering getting generic versions of Harvoni, which are available in some Asian countries and cost about 11,000 won per pill.
Under a related law, people can obtain medicine on their own from other countries, although the drugs might not be approved here.
Experts warn that such drugs do not guarantee safety and efficacy because they are not authorized by reliable institutions.
"It is important for the government to follow procedures. But if it quickly decides on the insurance coverage of Harvoni, it can reduce the risk of death from the liver disease over the long term," Lim said.
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