New therapies in the treatment of hepatitis C

According to the World Health Organization, Hepatitis C in the world was suffering more than 170 million people. Most of southern Europe, Africa and Asia. The virus causes inflammation of the liver. If it becomes chronic, leading to cirrhosis.


The virus is spread through infected blood, there is no vaccine. Standard treatment is carried out with interferon. The U.S. has now approved a new medicine, which significantly enhances the effect of treatment in half the time.

"Telaprevir" is a new medicine to the treatment of hepatitis C infection brings decisive advantages. Patients are now receiving interferon with ribavirin, interferon booster. The new medicine can not replace the combined therapy, but if she adds, significantly improves. It showed several comparative studies in which he participated and professor Hajner Vedemejer with high medical school in Hanover:

"In patients who had never been treated with, the result was such that the standard therapy healed them, 50 percent, while in therapy with the addition of a new cure, healed was 75 per cent. This is 30 percent or more in four of five patients, is a big improvement. in another analysis, the recovery was even 80 percent of cases. "

The standard treatment is complicated

Hepatitis viruses hepatitis CVirus many as the current, standard treatment is complicated: injections of interferon, which strengthens the immune system, must be received one week. Then the day after taking two tablets of interferon enhancers. The standard combination therapy lasts 48 weeks - almost a year. When additionally taking telaprevir, the therapy is reduced to 24 weeks. Even 30 percent of patients who have benefited from standard therapy, benefited from the new strategy. However, taking the cure may have contraindications.

"The main side effect of telaprevir are skin reactions. Redness of the skin, which can infect more than 50 percent of body surface area. Stvorati can be blisters, often occurs, and diarrhea. That was at about 10 percent of patients. In this case, treatment should be discontinued ".

"Telaprevir" and similar drugs are called protease inhibitors that block viral reproduction. These drugs can lead to numerous interactions with other medications, for example with anti-rheumatic drugs. "It takes experience. Treatment is complicated, not only because of side effects. When the interferon-ribavirin therapy is not being implemented properly, if the medicines are not taken regularly, easily comes to resistance, and this is very dangerous for the patient."

Taking the so-called "protease inhibitor" is strictly regulated: every eight hours - even at night - must take one capsule. The procedure requires the patient's strict discipline. In addition, medicine is not cheap - it costs around 17,000 euros for the six months of treatment.

Apparently it had found a new, good medicine against hepatitis C. However, if treatment costs remain high, then it certainly will not be able to heal all the ill.