Philadelphia, April 4 (RHC)-- Imprisoned journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal will begin taking a new fast-acting drug for his hepatitis C this week after winning a legal victory in a U.S. federal court. The treatment reportedly has a 90 percent cure rate.
Pennsylvania prison officials say it can cost $50,000 per person, and have sued in order to limit its use. Abu-Jamal’s lawyers say the decision paves the way for thousands more prisoners to get treated.
His lawyers have noted Abu-Jamal got sicker while the case was under appeal, and has since been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver.