A treatment that costs about $6,900 a year may seem relatively affordable - at least compared with some cancer treatments - but not in western Canada, where a controversy is growing over provincial coverage of Hepsera, a Hepatitis B med sold by Gilead Sciences.

For the past three years, free supplies were available as part of a clinical trial. But the largesse ends in July, when Gilead begins commercial sales. And patients will have to pay out of pocket, unless they were already prescribed the drug, because provincial programs aren’t covering the cost. Hepsera, which helps patients control symptoms even after building resistance to other drugs, is five times more expensive than an approved treatment.

Espcially hard hit are Chinese immigrants in British Columbia, where 350 of 1,000 Hepsera patients live. The government decision has started to filter through to the Chinese-Canadian community in the only last week or so, said Tung Chan, chief executive officer of the Success immigrant settlement services agency. And he predicts a backlash against the government.

One provincial government rejected coverage by saying there was “no compelling scientific evidence” that Hepsera had a positive effect on the risk of disease or death. Doctors are writing provinces complaining about such decisions and urging reversals.

Read more in The Globe and Mail.

[tags]Canada, Gilead Sciences, Hepatitis B, Hepsera[/tags]