Hepatitis C Support Group

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral disease which can cause liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. Many people with HCV infection have no symptoms and are unaware of the need to seek treatment. Hepatitis C infects an estimated 150-200 million people worldwide.

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New drugs?

akacountrygirl
akacountrygirl
Has anyone heard of a new treatment yet for Hep c and those with cirrhosis?

I have the geno type that is the hardest to get rid of and went through triple tx.....all tests were neg except the one I have 7 months after tx showed as positive.

I have already decided to not go through the same tx again.....it was just hell on earth.

I am really hoping on a tx that is shorter and effective.
Arabella1
Arabella1
some of us are on 2 drugs called Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and Olysio (simeprivir). they are protease inhibitors blocking the body from making a particular protien needed by the virus to replicate. Very few side effects if any and only a 12 week treatment. The downside is the cost and getting approved seems a crap shoot. There are a bunch of threads in here duscussing all the different treatments of today :)
WarriorGal
WarriorGal
So sorry you relapsed. That has to be devastating....

The rest Arabella already told you. The new drugs are here and more coming. They are shorter duration of treatment - usually just 12 weeks - and higher success rates. That's the good news. They work equally well on people with cirrhosis.

The not-so-good news is they are very expensive and right now the only combo available - Sovaldi & Olysio - is "off label" so very hard to get insurance approval. Cirrhosis actually makes it easier to get approved. "Sicker patients" and those, who like you failed tx are supposed to get more priority.

Other combos and a combo pill should be available within 5-6 months.
bethann718
bethann718
I am currently waiting for ledipasvir to be FDA approved, my Dr. said back in December, this December. Will be combined with sofobuvir.

I failed 5 weeks of int/rib and 48 weeks of triple tx.

sof/led should be a 12 week tx. With minimal side effects.
95% SVR For cirrhotics, geno 1's and previously tx'd.

We can kick it. Peace. Beth
delawarejoe
delawarejoe
that drug Gilead Pharmacys is putting out, twelve weeks 2 pills and no side effects, $80,000.