We waited thirteen years between the approval of Ribavirin in 1998 and the approval of the first direct acting antiviral agents to fight Hepatitis C (telaprevir and boceprevir) in 2011. But now the pace of development and testing of new drugs and drug combinations to fight and cure Hepatitis C is moving at incredible speed.
With the approval and use of the first direct acting drugs in 2011, the rate of cure for Hepatitis C treatment (for genotype 1) increased from about 45 percent to about 80 percent. These first direct acting agents improve treatment success dramatically, and cure many more people, but they must be used with the traditional treatment drugs, Interferon and Ribavirin (Interferon must be injected and causes difficult side effects for many patients).
But in April 2011, the world of Hepatitis C treatment changed forever when the results of initial tests of an all oral treatment regimen were published. This marked the first viable attempt to develop an Interferon-free treatment that could cure Hepatitis C. Now a number of all oral, no Interferon drug combinations are in active development, testing and clinical trials. The results are very promising!
One Hepatologist said that Hepatitis C drug development and testing moved from exponential to "warp speed" after April 2011. The promise of a cure for Hepatitis C using all oral treatment is on the horizon. This is very good news for Hepatitis C patients!
If you have Hepatitis C, or care about someone who is infected, this is a time of real hope! If you have Hepatitis C and have never treated, or failed treatment in the past, talk with a Hepatologist about the new drugs being developed and tested right now.
If you don't know your Hepatitis C status, ask your doctor for a test! If you have Hepatitis C, talk with a Hepatologist about getting rid of the virus for good!
With the approval and use of the first direct acting drugs in 2011, the rate of cure for Hepatitis C treatment (for genotype 1) increased from about 45 percent to about 80 percent. These first direct acting agents improve treatment success dramatically, and cure many more people, but they must be used with the traditional treatment drugs, Interferon and Ribavirin (Interferon must be injected and causes difficult side effects for many patients).
But in April 2011, the world of Hepatitis C treatment changed forever when the results of initial tests of an all oral treatment regimen were published. This marked the first viable attempt to develop an Interferon-free treatment that could cure Hepatitis C. Now a number of all oral, no Interferon drug combinations are in active development, testing and clinical trials. The results are very promising!
One Hepatologist said that Hepatitis C drug development and testing moved from exponential to "warp speed" after April 2011. The promise of a cure for Hepatitis C using all oral treatment is on the horizon. This is very good news for Hepatitis C patients!
If you have Hepatitis C, or care about someone who is infected, this is a time of real hope! If you have Hepatitis C and have never treated, or failed treatment in the past, talk with a Hepatologist about the new drugs being developed and tested right now.
If you don't know your Hepatitis C status, ask your doctor for a test! If you have Hepatitis C, talk with a Hepatologist about getting rid of the virus for good!
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