Friday, 21 February 2020 12:41
Generic Maviret (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir) is coming
Written by Super User
There is some exciting news from the Medicines Patent Pool in that Mylan have signed on to produce a generic glecaprevir/pibrentasvir. https://medicinespatentpool.org/mpp-media-post/the-medicines-patent-pool-and-mylan-sign-agreement-to-scale-up-access-to-first-generic-version-of-hepatitis-c-treatment-glecaprevir-pibrentasvir/ This is really significant for areas of Africa where the subtypes of HCV are very resistant to DAAs, for patient…
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We live in a world of soundbites where complex issues are often condensed into memes and slogans. When it comes to fighting a global health threat like 2019-nCoV the simple reality is that memes and slogans are not going to cut it.…
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The new drugs that cure Hepatitis C are great but what people often forget is that they are our first-ever cure for a virus. It used to be thought that curing Hepatitis B was a pipedream but this breakthrough with Hep C…
Wednesday, 03 July 2019 21:24
Assigning the Hep C Butterfly Symbol to the Public Domain
Written by Super User
The red ribbon used for HIV awareness has been a potent tool destigmatizing that disease. Several years ago conversations with Greg Jefferys about the Butterfly Effect and treatment advocates like Hazel Heal from New Zealand, Isabelle Andrieux-Meyer from Médecins Sans Frontières and…
Hi All, We need your help. We don't normally do this but it's important. Ok, so what? In 2015 Swissmedic changed the rule that said a patient can import only 1 month of medication for their own use to say they could…
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 17:39
Generic Epclusa or Generic Harvoni - which drug is better for Hepatitis C?
Written by Super User
The development of Hepatitis C Direct-Acting Antiviral medications (DAAs), and their introduction to the market in 2013, was a major victory in the fight against the HCV virus. It was a breakthrough that rivalled the invention of penicillin because while penicillin was…
Epclusa (velpatasvir/sofosbuvir) for Hepatitis C Medically reviewed by Dena Westphalen, PharmD on December 20, 2018 — Written by Lindsay Slowiczek, PharmD Reprinted with permission of Healthline. About Generic Side effects Cost Epclusa and alcohol Dosage Adherence Uses Alternatives Epclusa vs. Harvoni…
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Released in 2016, Epclusa has the remarkable ability to cure 96% of Hepatitis C sufferers regardless of genotype. It was an exciting new drug from Gilead Sciences, the innovator of the breakthrough medication Harvoni. Unfortunately, similar to Harvoni, which was released two…
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So back in late 2017 the Cochrane Collaboration made the bold claim that treatment with Direct Acting Antivirals did not have any measurable impact on clinical outcomes. While the medical profession as a whole expressed a large and collective WTF sentiment new…
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Wednesday, 06 February 2019 15:59
AASLD-EASL HCV Special Conference Miami 2019
Written by Super User
Jules Levin at NATAP has provided this awesome summary of the presentations from the combined AASLD/EASL HCV elimination conference. The first one starts with the elephant in the room, namely the prices... The Cost of HCV Elimination - AASLD-EASL HCV Special Conference…
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Thursday, 24 January 2019 12:57
Full dose Sofosbuvir is safe and effective in patients with renal failure +/- dialysis
Written by Super User
When sofosbuvir first reached the market it was not approved for patients with CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) stages 4 and 5 which means patients with an eGFR of < 30 ml/min. This was based on the observations that: Sofosbuvir is rapidly metabolised…
Perhaps it's age, perhaps it's Hep C, perhaps it's the medication. Whatever the reason, the reality is quite a few people with Hep C have issues with tinnitus. A friend of mine called Davo had this issue and resorted to Google where…
It's come to my attention that some people on the Internet are "bad-mouthing" Maviret (Mavyret) and suggesting it's the worst option on the market and that you need Sofosbuvir. Anyone stating this does not, as they say, know their ass from their…
For the past 2 decades, Jules Levin at NATAP has done a fantastic job reporting what is presented at all the major scientific meetings on HIV, HBV and HCV around the world. Here are 83 studies presented at the AASLD 2018 conference that cover…
Monday, 17 December 2018 14:07
PHARMAC announces funded Maviret from Feb 1st 2019
Written by Super User
In an announcement worthy of 3 dancing bananas , PHARMAC in New Zealand have just announced: We are pleased to announce a decision to fund a new treatment for chronic hepatitis C infection, glecaprevir and pibrentasvir (Maviret) from 1 February 2019, and to…
Monday, 10 December 2018 17:32
Clinical Impact of New Viral Hepatitis Data From AASLD 2018
Written by Super User
Here is a summary slide set where expert faculty members summarize key viral hepatitis studies from AASLD 2018 in San Francisco. Use these slides to review data on newer HCV regimens, the HCV continuum of care, posttreatment HCV outcomes, HCV D+R- transplantation,…
Tuesday, 27 November 2018 15:30
Understanding Viral Load and Hepatitis C Treatment Success
Written by Super User
The usual way we detect Hepatitis C is using an Antibody test. Following infection with Hepatitis C the body forms antibodies to the virus and these antibodies persist lifelong. In about 25% of patients the antibodies successfully remove the virus, however, the…
The Medicines Patent Pool Signs Licence with AbbVie to Expand Access to Key Hepatitis C Treatment, Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir SAN FRANCISCO, November 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Important collaboration will ensure affordable hepatitis C treatment options in low- and middle-income countries. The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has today announced…
One of the feared complications of Hepatitis C is HepatoCellular Carcinoma (HCC) aka Liver Cancer. While anyone can get this type of cancer it is most common in patients who have liver cirrhosis from any cause. We look for it using a…
Detailed expert guidelines are great but often run to hundreds of pages meaning it can be hard to find the specific information you want. Giten Khwairakpam from TREAT Asia / amfAR just shared this awesome executive summary with me, so I'm sharing…
So you've made it! SVR12 and you are cured of Hep C. Maybe you battled your insurance company for access to the medications. Maybe you sourced generic medications yourself. For most patients at this point that's it. It's over. You're cured and…
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Monday, 22 October 2018 15:14
The Use of TRIPS Flexibilities for the Access to Hepatitis C Treatment
Written by Super User
Here is an article from the South Centre in Geneva. Abstract: In late 2013, a new Hepatitis C treatment called direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) was introduced in the market at unaffordable prices. The eradication of the disease is possible if medicines can be purchased…
AFP is short for Alpha FetoProtein. As the "feto" in the name suggests this is a protein we see in a fetus. In adults we switch off the genes that produce it so we don't see much (usually <12 units) Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) represents…
So today, on the chat a patient mentioned "My doctor here is scaring me from getting treated. He is tell that the treatment can be poisonous." 5 years ago this doctor would have been correct, in fact, I used to think the…
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Here is a question I was asked: I am a biochemist myself and studied virology many years ago. Unlike HIV, HEP C doesn’t seem to reside in reservoirs. So looking at your SVR rates they are impressive but could you maybe give…
When the drug Harvoni was announced back in 2014, it was very welcome news for Hepatitis C sufferers around the world. Finally, a single pill treatment for this notorious disease was available. Taken once daily for just 12 weeks, it cured 95%…
Tuesday, 25 September 2018 07:45
Hep C generics set to be released in the USA in 2019!
Written by Super User
The good news is that Gilead plans to launch generic versions of Harvoni and Epclusa in the USA. The bad news is the $24,000 USD price tag. Although this price is substantially lower than list price, the reality is that the VA…
The stigma and stereotype associated with Hepatitis C says "you only get that from IV drug use". While you certainly can get it from IV drug use, the majority of my Baby Boomer patients didn't. How do I know? Well, of course,…
