Hep C Discussion Forum

• I live with hepatitis C and cant access treatment.

We, people living with hepatitis C and their families, representatives of the public sector and of civil society organizations, are signing up for the Hepatitis C Treatment Waiting List to demand affordable, high-quality hepatitis C treatment. Governments cant afford not to treat hepatitis C, but we cant afford the treatment. The cost of pegylated interferon (PEG-INF) the key component of todays most effective hepatitis C treatment makes it inaccessible for the majority of those who need it. Merck and Roche, the pharmaceutical giants that produce PEG-INF, keep the price for the average 48-week treatment course at unaffordable and unacceptable level for most people.

We all live in communities affected by hepatitis C, though the majority of people infected with the virus have not yet been diagnosed. Without treatment, hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. If governments do not make testing and high-quality treatment accessible to those in need, thousands of people with hepatitis C will die.

We demand that Merck and Roche reduce the price of PEG-INF so that middle- and low-income countries can afford hepatitis C treatment. It is the social responsibility of Merck and Roche to reduce the treatment price to a fair level and stop making millions of dollars while allowing thousands to die.

We demand that national governments allocate funds for hepatitis C treatment, monitor the quality and coverage of hepatitis C treatment, and negotiate price reductions for PEG-INF.

The Hepatitis C Treatment Waiting List holds our governments and the pharmaceutical industry accountable. As the list gets longer, we show our governments, Merck, and Roche the ever-growing demand for effective and accessible hepatitis C treatment. This is more than a symbolic act of solidarity with people living with hepatitis C it is a collective action directed at those who make decisions about the lives and health of people in our communities. The waiting list will be used in open dialogue with governments and pharmaceutical companies, on the national level and internationally.

http://www.harm-reduction.org/petitions/