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.
I'm a non responder,and I've heard of this drug called telaprivar. Evidently it's taken with the Typical interferon. Is it only for Genome 1 ? I've also read that out of 24 people in one of the trials only 2 finished and stayed viral free. Does anyone know anything about this?
All you need to do is to type in the search function bar located towards the top of the page, and slightly to the right in the "General Discussions" page, and then you'll receive a bunch of threads and posts on this drug. ;>)
Or you can Google it also and use Wikipedia as well...
You can then come back to this thread and ask us any particular topic regarding this drug based on the experiences of the folks in here that were on Telaprevir.
I personally did not take it and I'm waiting for the newer drugs to come out or find a trial that will take me which is hard for me because all of my complications and the age of my liver transplant...
This is why I cannot give you anything other than what I have read and I think you would be better served f you read the information you seek from someone who already was on treatment.
All the best to you fellow old timer!
Respectfully,
Henry
I am a non responder and was not encouraged to attempt again until the new all oral drugs are available. Won't be long.
I haven't heard about that trial data, but it doesn't sound correct. My understanding is that about 50% of people who take it must stop at some point; either because they are non-responders, or because the side-effects are too bad. But of the people who do complete the treatment, the success rate is around 80%!
It's not an easy drug to take. You must take it every 7-9 hours for 12 weeks, and each dose must be taken with 20 grams of fat. The side-effects were not fun...I had visual migraines, rashes, hemorrhoids, the infamous "ring-of-fire" which feels like you're pooping red hot lava, etc.
BUT, it worked for me. I had a VL of 12 million at diagnosis, and 2 million when I started treatment 3 years later. I was Detectable But Below Quantifiable (DBLOQ) at Week 4; then UND at Weeks 8, 12 & 24. SVR at 12 and 24 weeks past treatment, so I'm done with HCV, which is an incredible feeling! I finished Last July :-)
But now there are some newer drugs coming on the market, which have fewer side-effects than Telaprevir, and may not require Interferon either. If your doc feels that you are healthy enough to wait 1-3 years, I would definitely consider it. The effects of Telaprevir and Ribavirin wore off in a few months, but Interferon causes some problems with brain function that can last for 1-4 years (memory issues, learning difficulties, etc), so I would avoid that if I had to do it again. :-)