Affordability of Antiviral Therapy in Asia‐Pacific Countries and Its Impact on Public Health Outcomes

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that viral hepatitis claimed 1.3 million lives globally, surpassing that of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; 1.1 million deaths). The Asia-Pacific region has the largest share of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. The majority of countries in this regions are lowto middle-income countries where investment in hepatitis care is not a priority and poverty contributes to a lack of patient and public involvement. Unsurprisingly, despite the highly effective antivirals that make chronic hepatitis B (CHB) manageable and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) curable, affordability of these lifesaving antivirals in this region remains a principal issue. In this article, we discuss the affordability of antivirals and the mechanisms Asia-Pacific countries use to increase access to treatment for viral hepatitis and the potential public health outcomes.