I am taking it paired with Olysio. and have not had any bad side effects, I don't have labs yet , its just been 2 weeks for me. I don't know what the best is but this seems good so far, now when I get my labs done and they come back undetectable, AND 10 years down the road I have not developed some kind if mad cow disease then I will say confidently its the best...for me. :)

Sovaldi is FDA and is prescribed in different combinations - with Olysio, Ribavirin and Interferon - depending on your genotype. MANY of us here are on it with these other drugs. Some combos are easier to get insurance approval than others. AllAbouLiving posted all the combos for which GT and which are considered "off-label" and thus harder to get approval for. Search here for Sovaldi or Sofosbuvir.

PS I am on it with Olysio for 9 or 10 weeks now. Occasional headaches are the only side effect I, and others have reported experiencing. I am undetected as of week 8. It is hailed as being very effective.

Also - new combinations with Ledaspivir (and Declastavir ?) are coming soon... by the Spring! No way to tell if the prices will also be prohibitive and insurance approval an issue...

So far, it's been great for me, and no trouble getting approved through Aetna. I have noticed no side effects from it at all. It is the combo med, Ribavirin, that is causing the side effects for me, but I am on a high dose.

They prescribed both olysio and sovaldi for me..no problem. .insurance is the problem. .actually the olysio was accepted with riba..but I'm waiting for approval of sovaldi to go with it.

not available for 1a

Are you saying Sovaldi is not available for 1a or the Sovaldi/Olysio combo isn't available for 1a? To my knowledge Sovaldi is approved for 1a, I'm pretty sure that's the genotype I have and am on it.
http://www.gilead.com/~/media/Files/pdfs/medicines/liver-disease/sovaldi/sovaldi_pi.pdf

Table 8 Response Rates in Study NEUTRINO
SOVALDI + Peg-IFN alfa + RBV 12 weeks
N=327a

Overall SVR 90% (295/327)
Genotype 1b
89% (261/292)
Genotype 1a 92% (206/225)
Genotype 1b 82% (54/66)
Genotype 4 96% (27/28)

HCVCURE, let me be the pessimist in the group. I see that you just joined today. Are you here representing a drug company, law firm, etc? If so the cone out of closet and say so. If not and you are here because you truly gave HCV, then I apologize. It just is all real odd to me your exact line of question and your wording along with timing of when you joined. I have seen many join over the past year and their line of initial questions are all similar to each other and nothing like yours.

the combo with out interferon

Sovaldi and Olysio works for GT1a and is prescribed for 1A and has been approved by insurance for 1A - at least one person in this group, CatMagic, is 1A and on S & O right now....and she got it approved without appeal.

It all depends on your doc and your insurance. some docs are not even trying. Some are willing to TRY and even fight for their patients via appeals.

Yep, I am 1a and on Sovaldi and Olysio. I saw my doc today. He told me that "it's ugly" getting approval for this off-label combo now. Insurance companies do not want to pay for it. He said I was VERY lucky to get approved when I did (mid-January) because since toward the end of January, insurance companies have been unwilling to pay for it - not that it's off-label but ALL about the money. That includes my pharma insurance, TriCare, which in the past has been the BEST one to have for this type treatment or anything, actually. Doc is very discouraged, said he's never run into such a wall in 40 some years of practice (gastro/hepatoligist/head of St. Joseph Hospital transplant team in Phoenix), BUT he said Sovaldi/Ledipasvir will be FDA approved and on the market in approximately six months - and this doctor KNOWS. And he fights for his patients.

adding - He did not say whether Sovaldi (and the FDA approved Geno 1 tx of Sovalidi/Riba or Sovaldi/Interferon/Riba was also difficult to get approved - I forgot to ask him. BUT I would say he was talking about Sovaldi in general. The nurse said she thinks that Gilead is going to have to lower the price - that Sovalid/Ledipasvir might be something like $800 a pill (one pill with both agents in it), as opposed to the now $1,000 a PILL for Sovalid (and about $700 a pill for Olysio). If Tricare is denying, even with appeals, then .... Gilead is now losing a lot of money with that price tag, because normally TriCare approves almost everything, given good reason and a doctor who writes the order up with, in the case of HCV, why Interferon is risky to the patient, and a doctor they know will fight for his patients.

thank you catmagic i have HIP my doctor told me $1,000 for the test and 300k for treatment. i want another doctor. since i am not that sick i am on the back burner feels like to me. i suffer like the rest with symptoms