Hepatitis C treatment is one of the few areas of medicine where the price collapsed rather than climbed. Direct-acting antivirals can cure most chronic hepatitis C infections in a defined course of weeks, and the arrival of generics changed what that course costs by orders of magnitude. Here is how the pricing actually works.
Hepatitis C is priced per course, not per month
This is the first thing to get right, because it is the opposite of how most long-term medicines are costed. A direct-acting antiviral course runs for a set number of weeks — commonly 8 or 12 — and then ends. So the number that matters is the total cost of the complete course, not the price of one pack. A lower per-pack price spread over a longer course is not necessarily the cheaper option.
What the branded courses cost
Branded prices are indicative, vary by country and have moved considerably since launch. As a sense of scale, branded Harvoni was around US$94,500 for a 12-week course in the United States at launch and roughly £39,000 in the UK; branded Epclusa was indicatively around US$74,000 for 12 weeks. Mavyret was introduced at a notably lower list price, indicatively around US$26,000 for its 8-week course. In the UK and Australia, NHS and PBS prices are confidentially negotiated and not published.
What generics changed
A generic contains the same active ingredients at the same strengths as the branded original, produced by licensed pharmaceutical manufacturers. The practical difference is cost, and for hepatitis C that difference is unusually large — generic courses are a small fraction of the originator prices above. That is what made treatment reachable for people paying for their own medicine rather than through a national programme.
The main options, each with the same active ingredients as its branded counterpart:
- Generic Epclusa — sofosbuvir/velpatasvir, pan-genotypic, typically a 12-week course.
- Generic Harvoni — sofosbuvir/ledipasvir, typically a 12-week course.
- Generic Mavyret — glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, contains no sofosbuvir, commonly an 8-week course and taken as three tablets daily.
What sets your course length
The genotype of the virus, whether you have been treated before, whether you have cirrhosis, and your liver and kidney assessment. Your specialist sets it. A shorter course is not a budget version of a longer one — they are different clinical decisions, and shortening a course to save money is not a decision a patient can safely make.
Costs that sit outside the medicine
Genotype testing, liver assessment and the follow-up test that confirms the outcome are arranged through your healthcare provider and are not part of what a pharmacy charges. Budget for them separately when you are working out the total.
Buying generic hepatitis C treatment
Every antiviral here is prescription-only. We supply generics from licensed pharmaceutical manufacturers, and each order is reviewed by a licensed pharmacist against a valid prescription before dispatch. For background on testing, treatment and how the regimens differ, see our hepatitis information hub, or browse all sofosbuvir products. Used as prescribed by a licensed medical professional.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a full course of hepatitis C treatment cost?
It depends on the regimen and the length of the course. Branded direct-acting antivirals were indicatively tens of thousands of US dollars per course at launch — Harvoni around US$94,500 for 12 weeks, for example. Generic courses of the same active ingredients, produced by licensed pharmaceutical manufacturers, cost a small fraction of that. Exact pricing depends on the regimen, the course length your specialist sets, and your destination.
Why is hepatitis C priced per course instead of per month?
Because the treatment has a defined end. Unlike a long-term medicine taken indefinitely, a direct-acting antiviral course runs for a set number of weeks — commonly 8 or 12 — and then stops. That makes the total cost of the course the number that matters, not the price of a single pack.
What decides whether my course is 8 weeks or 12?
Your specialist decides, based on the genotype of the virus, whether you have been treated before, whether you have cirrhosis, and your liver and kidney assessment. It is not a choice made on price. A shorter course is not a cheaper version of a longer one — they are different clinical decisions.
Does the price include testing?
No. Genotype testing, liver assessment and the follow-up test that confirms the outcome are separate from the cost of the medicine, and are arranged through your healthcare provider rather than through a pharmacy.
Do I need a prescription?
Yes. Every hepatitis C antiviral is prescription-only, and we dispense only against a valid prescription after pharmacist review. Treatment normally follows genotype testing and liver assessment, so speak to your hepatology team before ordering.
This article is general information, not medical or financial advice. Prices are indicative and vary by country, pack size, insurance and over time. Always use any medicine as prescribed by a licensed medical professional.
Babu S. Shetty is a licensed clinical pharmacist with 14 years of experience. He holds a B.Pharm and M.Pharm from Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College. At OnlineMeds, he reviews medicine and health content to help ensure it is accurate, evidence-based, and easy to understand.