Malaysia: regional treatment hub for Hepatitis C

Malaysia flag

Malaysia has said it is ready to become a regional hub for Hepatitis C treatment, by offering a combination treatment of ravidasvir and sofosbuvir at affordable prices.

The new product for medical tourism will be offered after the World Health Organisation approved Malaysia as the first country to be given conditional approval to offer treatment from the combination of the two drugs.

Studies on the use of a combination of ravidasvir and sofosbuvir proved to be up to 97% effective in treating Hepatitis C, with very few side effects.

Previously, treatment that required a compulsory licence was only offered in public hospitals. Now it can be done in private hospitals using a voluntary licence. Malaysia’s Health Ministry is also tracking down more than 400,000 Hepatitis C patients in the country.

Malaysia is also planning to market this treatment to medical tourists, as it is a medium-term treatment of around three months.  The Health Ministry will identify hospitals that can be turned into premium hospitals to carry out the initiative.

The World Health Organisation’s mission is to reduce the spread of hepatitis virus infection by 90% and reduce deaths due to the virus by 65% by 2030.