Best wishes for SVR Sir!

……and Tina, we’ll be cheering when you hit the tape next week.

Welcome Rob,

I’m on the same treatment as prescribed for you. Like Sir, I’m not qualified to answer your riba question but can share my experiences.

Our cases do differ in that I have compensated cirrhosis and HCC occurrences but no fatty liver or varices. I also had very active HCV creating a lot of inflammation which gave high ALT/AST over an extended period. I did discuss discontinuing riba with my specialist at my 12 week checkup last week. He couldn’t guarantee continuing would help but thought that in my case there was probably a couple of percent advantage in my continuing it to end of treatment given my previous relapse and other factors. As I’m looking for any leverage I can get I will continue. So not sure how or even if that translates to you though.

Something else to consider is that I also seem to handle riba quite well, no anaemia or rage with only insomnia, dry skin and itchiness as noticeable sides. I always felt that the Peg was the worst part of my prior treatment and that has proven to be the case with the DAAs.

You should also read this thread which includes links to some of the latest data on Gt3 patients treated with Sof/Dac +/- Riba as presented at AASLD conference 2015 http://fixhepc.com/forum/gt3/369-gt3-high-svr-rates-with-daclatasvir.html

Best wishes for your successful SVR whichever path you take.

Well, my understanding was that one intent of this site was ensuring that people with HCV would have the opportunity to be cured with the new DAAs that were now available but often unaffordable to them as is currently the situation for a large percentage of the 180 million people worldwide that are afflicted with the disease. Another intent was to provide an open and uncensored forum for the discussion, without fear or favour, of issues relating to both generic and patented meds…….as we should be doing here.

But what I’m seeing in this thread is a lot of assumptions around Jeff’s intentions and then statement of such as fact by others prior to his clarifying his reason for posting.

By the way, I am aware of a number of members who have sourced at least some of their treatment via various big Pharma channels. Some of those people have been among the most helpful and generous members here.

……..sometimes it is wiser to walk in other’s footsteps!

Thanks M,

I got my results yesterday and posted over in the Gt3 with F4 thread.
You’re right though, UNDs seem to be everywhere these days, lots of smiling people.

Yes, 24 weeks Tx for me Chejai.
I suspect I was UND earlier than 12 weeks but given the delays in getting my 4 week results due to Xmas and rerunning the test for quantitative, it would have been week 10 before I could have tested again so I figured I may as well just wait till 12 weeks.

Thank you Price,

I’ve noted a couple of times previously that the total segregation of pharma and medico is unlikely to be beneficial to the advancement of medicine or the welfare of patients in the real world. I would also suggest that it is not just about whether it helps the patient vs self but also any undue influence on decisions that can have long term consequences. It really comes down to how ‘cozy’ these arrangements become. This is exactly why we need, and have, ‘Conflict of Interest’ statements at the end of most academic papers, it doesn’t necessarily mean there a conflict but it allows everyone to see that there is a potential for it to occur. And allows others to ask questions to resolve any concerns.

In my view, experts accepting monies to attend or speak at conferences, participate in study, conduct clinical trials, etc. that can’t/won’t be funded by governments, hospitals or the individual are within the bounds of acceptable behaviour providing they are declared, on subject and limited to reasonable costs. i.e. I don’t expect an Australian specialist flying to the AASLD conferences to stay in a caravan while he is there, but nor do I expect that he would be taken to Broadway shows unless he pays for the ticket himself.

However, being a board member for a commercial corporation while having input to decisions by government/hospitals/etc. is not something that should be allowed. As such I also suspect the NHS officials commented on earlier should be disqualified from any decision processes that have anything at all to do with those from who they have received funding.

Welcome Jeff and congratulations! So you are currently 8 weeks post treatment?

Good to hear that your insurance company covered most of the bills, did you have much trouble getting them to agree?