British Columbia Expands Coverage Under PharmaCare Plan for New Drug for Hepatitis C

British Columbia's government has announced that its PharmaCare plan will begin providing boceprevir for hepatitis C patients who meet certain eligibility requirements. Known by the trade names Victrelis and Victrelis Triple, the medication is used in combination with other drugs and has been shown to boost cure rates by up to 25 percent. Boceprevir gained Health Canada approval last summer. Providing the drug will cost up to $50 million (US $50 million) during the next three years, the government said.