Infamous Inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal To Receive Treatment for Hepatitis C

Former death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal began treatment last week with expensive, blockbuster hepatitis C virus (HCV) drugs, after initially being denied treatment.

Two years ago, Abu-Jamal was hospitalized after falling into diabetic shock. It was then that he learned he had HCV, and his lawyers sued to improve his medical treatment.

Abu-Jamal filed a lawsuit against a prison policy that denies access to treatment with the HCV drugs unless an inmate has advanced liver damage. Although it was denied in September 2016, US District Judge Robert Mariani ruled In January that Abu-Jamal had a right to be treated with HCV antiviral drugs.

Corrections spokeswoman Amy Worden said inmates are prioritized for treatment based on disease progression, according to US News. Based on recent testing, Abu-Jamal is now eligible to receive treatment with these life-saving drugs.

Abu-Jamal is a former Black Panther who was on death row for 29 years for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia, PA police officer Daniel Faulkner. In 2011, his sentence was reduced to life without parole.