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This spring, the province expanded coverage for new drugs that have a 95% cure rate
An infectious disease specialist in Regina is trying to raise awareness about the availability of drugs that have a 95 per cent cure rate for hepatitis C.
Dr. Alex Wong, who works for the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, said to his knowledge there is no official number for how many people are living with the disease in Saskatchewan, but he estimates the number at anywhere from 15,000 up to 25,000.
According to Wong, only 350 prescriptions were written for people with hepatitis C in 2016.
“That is a shockingly low number for a province that has such a high incidence rate of hepatitis C,” he said.
But, on a good note, according to the Ministry of Health, 144 prescriptions were written from April to June of this year, which is after coverage was expanded for the new medications.
Read the whole story here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-health-hepatitis-c-1.4227428