Louisiana Seeks Partner for ‘Netflix’ Subscription Model for Hep C Drugs

Louisiana’s Department of Health is seeking a drug manufacturing partner willing to adopt a Netflix-style subscription model for hepatitis C drugs.

Under the public-private partnership, the state would pay a fixed monthly cost for hepatitis C drugs for use in its prisons and Medicaid program, rather than paying for each individual prescription. At least 39,000 patients either in Louisiana prisons or on the state Medicaid rolls have hepatitis.

Hepatitis kills more individuals in the state than all other infectious diseases combined, but fewer than three percent of Medicaid patients with the disease were treated last year, which the state attributed to high drug prices.