A new study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, evaluated treatment regimens for hepatitis C infections in incarcerated populations.  In particular, the researchers looked at therapies involving Sofosbuvir.  They found that there was a large improvement in health status, particularly with respect to decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

According to the study, for each additional life year (adjusted for quality of life), the cost was up to $28,800.  The annual cost went down for longer sentences.  The authors argue that this makes the treatment regimens cost-effective, but question whether it is affordable.  Also, the study lacks information about the cost savings from avoiding treating complications, reinfection, and infections spread to others.

HealthDay reports that there are more than half a million prison inmates in the U.S. that currently have hepatitis C.  The disease causes liver damage and is spread through contact with infected blood.  The Sofosbuvir treatment, under the brand name Sovaldi, costs more than $7,000 a week for 12 weeks of treatment.  Some states are concerned about the price and want to limit its use in prisons.

The new study argues that the benefits of the drug support spending the money to curb infections in this high-risk population.  The longest drug treatment was a combination of drugs that took 48 weeks and was effective in less than half of patients.  In 2011, a new drug came out that was more effective and more expensive.  Now, Sovaldi has been approved since 2013, but brings an even higher price tag with its higher efficacy and shorter treatment term.