His young age may be a benefit to him. Best of luck and good thought your way,
If treatment is required, the pharmaceutical companies can supply the meds for free, if he meets the income requirements. These drugs can be rather pricey; the retail cost for interferon and ribavirin can easily exceed U.S. $25,000/year. He can call either of these numbers for further information:
Pegassist (Roche Pegasys system): 1-877-734-2797
Commitment to Care (Schering- Plough PEG-Intron system): 1-800-521-7157
He might also consider entering a clinical trial; there are a lot of very exciting new products being studied right now. These trials can provide free medical treatment, inclusive of drug costs as well.
Best of luck—
Bill
Thank you for your help! I'll see what I can find for him in the Spokane area.
I agree with Jim. Also you can find out if there are any studies being done in your area. They are done at the teaching hospitals.Most of them cover all medical cost and even the liver biopsy. Good luck
He needs a liver biopsy to find out how much liver damage he has. After that, you will be in a better position to make a decision on whether to treat now or wait.
-- Jim