Miriam physician identifies barriers to hepatitis drugs

PROVIDENCE – A new and very effective treatment for hepatitis C is frequently not being made available to Medicaid patients as prescribed by law, according to a new study led by The Miriam Hospital’s Dr. Lynn Taylor.

Taylor’s research group included the Harvard Law School Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, Treatment Action Group, Kirby Institute of Australia, and Brown University. The study was pre-published online and will appear in print in the August issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The team determined that most states violate federal Medicaid law by not making Solvadi, also known as sofosbuvir, available to patients with hepatitis C. In the process, the team found that

“Federal Medicaid law requires coverage, yet reimbursement criteria for Medicaid programs effectively deny access,” said Taylor, lead author of the study.

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The most common restrictions on Solvadi preventing its use among Medicaid treatment are: scarring of the liver, substance use, and limitations on which physicians may prescribe the drug.

“Ultimately, we found that access restrictions are not based on scientific evidence, current treatment guidelines, or clinical data,” said co-author Robert Greenwald, director of Harvard Law School’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation.

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