Liver Awareness Month is the perfect time to shine a light on one of the biggest breakthroughs in liver health: the treatment of hepatitis C. Not so long ago, treatment for hep C was long, difficult, and came with serious side effects but today it looks very different and is easily accessible. Your liver is the backbone that filters out all the nasty toxins that go through your body on a daily basis, this includes the good stuff like the medicines that are put into your body! Throughout the past hundred or so years there have been many advancements in medicine, today we want to take you through what that looks like for hep C treatment.
Through the years
Hepatitis C treatment is now easier than ever; it’s a Direct Acting Anti-Viral (DDAs) course of antibiotics that include 1-3 pills for 8-12 weeks with a cure rate of over 95%. These days there are very few side effects but as with all medicines there’s never none, people sometimes experience headaches and nausea however, compared to the old medication it’s a breeze! First and foremost, we need to figure out if you have hepatitis C, the way we do this in 2025 is through a small finger-prick blood test, with results ready in the same day and if the test shows a positive result, we can help link people straight into care so treatment can start quickly.
Getting diagnosed in the past was usually done through a blood test at the doctors, with wait times on results taking up to a few weeks. Medicines prescribed were either oral pills or weekly injections, that took between 24 – 82 weeks to clear the virus. There were lots of side effects, usually leading people to stop their treatment partway through. Due to these past treatment options, a lot of misinformation still lingers about how hep C treatment works today.
There is still stigma surrounding hepatitis, though improving since the early 2000s, continues to affect how people feel about diagnosis and care. That’s why we make sure to stop the spread of misinformation and make our voice heard in community to let people know that we are here to help them with kinder practices. DAAs offer a more convenient, shorter, and highly effective treatment option with significantly fewer side effects, leading to better patient outcomes and improved quality of life.
Check out this video on how easy it is to get a hep C test done with us these days
Featuring Pharmacist Samantha from Capital Chemist Charnwood
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
In Australia, we are especially fortunate that hep C treatment is accessible to everyone. Thanks to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), DAAs are available at a subsidised price at around $30 per script and if you have a healthcare card, this is even cheaper. This cost is less with a concession card and if you’re in a tough position Hepatitis ACT will cover this cost for you. In many other countries, hep C treatment still costs thousands of dollars, putting it out of reach for most people. The PBS removes this financial barrier, making sure cost never stands in the way of someone getting cured and protecting their liver. We are advocates in the point that everyone deserves a right to choice, this scheme provides an equal opportunity in Canberra to anybody accessing care and we couldn’t be more thankful.
Quick Facts
- Benefits – treatment prevents long-term liver damage, cirrhosis, and liver cancer
- Treatment length – usually 8 to 12 weeks
- Cure rate – over 95% of people clear the virus completely
- Side effects – mild and uncommon
- Old vs new – unlike past treatments, no injections and far fewer side effects
- Cost in Australia – around $30 per script (or less with a concession card) thanks to the PBS, Hepatitis ACT can also cover this cost if you are in a tough spot
- Cost overseas – can be tens of thousands of dollars without subsidies (e.g. USA)
The Bottom Line
During Liver Awareness Month, we want to remind our community that hep C treatment today is simple, short, and highly effective with very few side effects compared to older medicines. Thanks to the PBS, Australians have access to these life-saving treatments at a fraction of the cost. If you or someone you know wants to know their status for hepatitis C we’re here to help!
Find us: (Testing site) Hepatitis ACT, 36 David St, Turner ACT 2612
Call us: 1800 437 222
Contact us: Contact Us – Hepatitis ACT