Blog 2: Poor Nations Seek New Hepatitis C Drug

Summary:
Unlike wealthier nations, poor nations around the world do not have the access to cure hepatitis C, which is a viral disease that can cause liver damage and cancer. There are at least 150 million people in the world who have this disease. Hepatitis C can be cured with a pill called sofosbuvir, however it is very costly. Even here in the United States it costs over $80,000 per treatment. This is very costly and not many countries can afford treatment. However, the campaign of Doctors Without Borders stated that there is a possibility for a similar drug to be made for $250 or less, which would be much more affordable. If this happens, the next step for the campaign would be to get funding for the treatment, which would allow Doctors Without Borders to start treatment projects in poor countries.

Analysis:
Although it seems we are not facing the problem of not being able to afford the cost for treatment, the cost per treatment here in the United States is unbelievable. It does not surprise me that poor nations are not able to get treatment, and therefore have a higher rate of illness in their countries. The dependency theory is evident in this case. Without the assistance of Doctors Without Borders trying to put an effort to have the treatment drug made much cheaper and receive funding to be able to help the poor countries, they would not have any access to treatment. As a result, the poor nation would suffer because of the obvious reason that these poor nations are dependent on wealthier nations.

Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/health/poor-nations-seek-new-hepatitis-c-drug.html?ref=science&_r=0