HIV Infection and Hepatitis C

Jenny Willott
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the average (a) annual and (b) total lifetime cost to the NHS of a person with (i) HIV and (ii) hepatitis C; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron
The estimated average annual cost to the national health service for a person with HIV is £14,000-£15,000. These costs will vary according to immune status. The average lifetime treatment costs for HIV is estimated to be between £135,000-£181,000 although this may increase as life expectancy continues to increase.

For hepatitis C, the cost of drug therapy is estimated to be between £6,000-£15,000, depending on the duration of treatment, which is currently 24 or 48 weeks.