The high cost of Sovaldi, a new drug that cures Hepatitis C, could cost the Veterans Administration (VA) $1.3 billion in the next two years. The high cost of the drug could force the agency to make budget cuts in other areas.<\/p>\n
Chronic Hepatitis C infections can destroy the liver. Eventually, sufferers will require a liver transplant or will die from the disease. The VA is the nation\u2019s single largest care provider for Hepatitis C, with 174,000 veterans currently documented as having the virus and as many as 42,000 undocumented cases.<\/p>\n
In July, the VA gave the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee a $17.6 billion wishlist of resources. At that time, VA officials stated that the high cost of Sovaldi was cutting into their resources. Congress approved the new funding, but none of the funding was specifically earmarked for Sovaldi.<\/p>\n
Sovaldi was developed by Gilead Sciences and approved by the Food and Drug Administration last (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The high cost of Sovaldi, a new drug that cures Hepatitis C, could cost the Veterans Administration (VA) $1.3 billion in the next two years. The high cost of the drug could force the agency to make budget cuts in…<\/span><\/p>\n