Interferons on a budget / Corrections connection, 18 Oct 2006

http://www.corrections.com/news/article.aspx?articleid=14335
Sarah Etter
"When the Centers for Disease Control released its guidelines for the prevention and treatment of Hepatitis C two years ago, the North Dakota Department of Correction and Rehabilitation faced a health problem that came with a hefty price tag. It is one expensive disease to treat. Most of the people who need Hep C treatment are usually alcoholics or drug users, and in prison, it’s a real problem because they are a much higher concentration of that population.” Roughly 6.3 percent of the agency’s population has been diagnosed with the virus, and it is responsible for treating all long-term offenders. But Hep C treatment can cost, on average, upwards of $21,165 annually per inmate. For ND’s 1,300 Hep C positive inmates that’s a hefty $275,145 yearly bill."