The hepatitis C medication Sovaldi, from Gilead Sciences, costs $1,000 per pill. It's just one of the new medications introduced in the past year that can cure the disease within weeks or months. Courtesy of Gilead Sciences via AP hide caption
hepatitis C hepatitis C
Gilead's once-a-day pill for hepatitis C is the latest expensive and effective treatment that insurers say is a business challenge. Courtesy of Business Wire hide caption
The newly approved Harvoni tablets bring several advances to the fight against hepatitis C, but they also have a steep price tag, reported at $1,125 for a single dose. Gilead Sciences hide caption
Walter Bianco's liver is severely damaged by hepatitis C, but insurers had refused to pay for the medications that could cure him. Alexandra Olgin for NPR hide caption
Walter Bianco's liver is severely damaged by hepatitis C, but insurers had refused to pay for the medications that could cure him. Alexandra Olgin for NPR hide caption
Medicare Backs Down On Denying Treatment For Hepatitis Patient
Kaiser Health News
Sovaldi, a daily oral treatment for hepatitis C, costs $1,000 a pill. Courtesy of Gilead Sciences hide caption
Advocates demonstrate in favor of cheaper generic drugs to treat hepatitis C in New Delhi on March 21. The disease is common among people who are HIV positive. Saurabh Das/AP hide caption
WHO Calls For High-Priced Drugs For Millions With Hepatitis C
Kaiser Health News
Sovaldi, a daily oral treatment for hepatitis C, costs $1,000 a pill. Courtesy of Gilead Sciences hide caption
A girl with hepatitis C holds a medical report while being treated at a hospital in Hefei, China, in 2011. China has one of the greatest burdens of hepatitis C, but it's still not clear whether a deal for lower prices for a new drug from Gilead Sciences will apply there. Barcroft Media/Landov hide caption
Timothy Webb and other advocates protest the cost of HIV drugs manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Gilead outside an AIDS conference in Atlanta in March. Gilead is making a new hepatitis C drug, Sovaldi. John Amis/AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation hide caption
A colorized closeup of the hepatitis C virus. James Cavallini/Science Source hide caption
Particles of the hepatitis C virus are imaged with an electron microscope. James Cavallini/Science Source hide caption
Hepatitis C patient Nancy Turner shows Kathleen Coleman, a nurse practitioner, where a forearm rash, a side effect of her treatment, has healed. Turner is one of many patients with hepatitis C experimenting with new drugs to beat back the virus. Richard Knox/NPR hide caption
Hospitals began testing blood for hepatitis in 1992, so anyone who received a blood transfusion before then is at an increased risk for contracting the disease. iStockphoto hide caption