Hepatitis-C treatment revolutionised

Only one tablet for 3 months would be sufficient to cure the disease

Rawalpindi

There may not be any need for injection therapy for treatment of Hepatitis-C after June 2016 because a new treatment therapy would be available for the purpose under which only one tablet for three months would be sufficient to cure its patients.

It is believed that the result of the new drug is 100%. In June this year, Sofosbuvir + Valputax in combination will be available as a single tablet for three months use to cure Hepatitis-C.

Dr. Muhammad Umar, professor of medicine and principal of the Rawalpindi Medical College, expressed these views to ‘The News’ while providing details about the new drug that would be available for treatment of Hepatitis-C in Pakistan in June this year.

He said that in Pakistan, about 7.5 million people are carrying Hepatitis-C virus. The most prevalent genotype in Pakistan is 3a followed by 2a. Since 1992, the only therapy for chronic Hepatitis C infection needs injection Interferon + Ribavirin however, in last two years, there is a lot of research in oral drugs and fortunately, in the beginning of 2014, the drugs were available which cure hepatitis patients without injection, he said.

He explained that Sofosbuvir was new directly acting antiviral (DAA) drug in use with combination of RBV in last two years particularly in patients not eligible for interferon therapy or intolerant.

He said the government put religious efforts to register new brand to reduce the price and making it affordable to ordinary patients still a significant number of patient need to use Peg Interferon + Sofosbuvir + Ribavirin for Genotype 3a.

But recently, a new drug Daclatasvir is available which in combination with Sofosbuvir can produce 100 per cent cure in Hepatitis C patients, said Professor Umar who is chief of Centre for Liver and Digestive Diseases (CLD), the largest centre of Pakistan, here in Holy Family Hospital in town.

He added that from June this year, Sofosbuvir + Valputax in combination would be available in Pakistan and hepatitis C patients would need only one tablet for three months to achieve cure.

He said ledipasvir/ sofosbuvir (Harvoni) is available for patients with Genotype 1 and Untypeable genotype with special permission from health department.

It is important o mention that Professor Muhammad Umar is an eminent Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist of the country and former President of Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology (PSG) and Pakistan Society of Hepatology. He has published research paper ‘Trends of Sofosbuvir Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C Infection in Genotype 3 Patients-An Experience from Pakistan’ in Digestive Disease Week San Diego, USA for presentation. This is the only research from Pakistan which has been accepted. The DDW is considered as the largest and most prestigious meeting in the world for GI professionals.

Professor Umar is the first author of WGO World Guidelines on Treatment of Hepatitis C, Which is available on website (www.world gastroenterology.org).

To a query, Professor Umar informed ‘The News’ that the Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug like Daklinza which is a combination of Daclatasavir and Sofosbuvir which is particularly for Genotype 3, which is more prevalent in Pakistan. The other drugs are Technivie and Abbvie Viekira Pak, he said.

He said that patients may visit Centre for Liver and Digestive Diseases (CLD) at HFH for further information regarding new therapy. He said that a couple of his patients who had liver transplant and had reactivation of Hepatitis C are getting new drug with good response. The patients having HCC (Liver Cancer) can also get benefits from the newer therapy, concluded Professor Umar.