Check out what we have in store for you in the July Newsletter
Dear Advocaters,
There has been some late-breaking news: on June 28, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Epclusa for the treatment of hepatitis C genotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Epclusa is a combination of two drugs combined into one pill taken once a day. The treatment duration for all of the genotypes is 12 weeks. The recommendation from the FDA included in the Highlights of Prescribing Information:
Treat patients without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis with Epclusa (no ribavirin). The cure rates: 97% to 100%
Treat patients with decompensated cirrhosis with Epclusa plus ribavirin. The cure rates: 85% to 100%
The price tag for a 12-week course of therapy is $74,760. I will provide more detailed information in next month’s HCV Advocate newsletter.
In this month’s edition of the HCV Advocate newsletter we have the following articles:
- Opiate Addition, Hepatitis C, and Pregnancy – Why the women we love need us now more than ever Matthew Zielske goes beneath the usual headlines of shame and blame to give us some truths about addiction, hepatitis C, and pregnancy.
- SnapShots by Alan Franciscus –I discuss three studies—(1) the next Gilead triple therapy, (2) the effect of race on hepatitis C disease progression and death, and (3) the relationship of alcohol to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
- HealthWise: The Evolution of Hepatitis C Support Groups by Lucinda K. Porter. Lucinda discusses the first support group she started along with Ginny Morrow and why they are still so important.
- HCV Advocate Monthly Pipeline Update – I have updated the drug pipeline to include information about Gilead’s salvage therapy and new data from Regulus Therapeutic Inc.–note: RG-101 was recently put on hold by the FDA.
- What’s Up!–
- We have reviewed and updated the following HCSP Fact Sheets:
- We have updated the Extrahepatic Manifestations Glossary to include the following conditions:
- Erythema Multiforme
- Head and Neck Cancers
- Necrolytic Acral Erythema
- Prostate Cancer
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Scleritis
Sincerely,
Alan and the staff of the HCV Advocate
Get tested, Get Treated, Get Cured
Click here to read this issue.
