New Hepatitis C Treatment

Mayank Mali

Article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2014/05/07/new-drug-combination-highly-effective-for-hepatitis-c/
Author: Pharma and Healthcare, Robert Glatter
Published: 7 May 2014

Summary: 

        Dr. David Bernstein, chief of the division of hepatology at North Shore University Hospital, presented research on a drug highly effective in treating hepatitis C on May 4 2014 at the annual Digestive Disease Week meeting in Chicago.
               
        Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by blood contamination. The contamination can stem from unscreened blood products, blood transfusions, IV drug use, not enough sterilization of madical equipment, and unsanitary medical settings. It caused by the hepatitis C virus, and can lead to cirrhosis, or chronic scarring of the liver tissue. Hepatitis C has no current vaccine, and about 350,000 to 500,000 people die globally from diseases stemming form hepatitis C. In the US, hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplantation and cancer, and kills more people than HIV/AIDS.


                  Electron Micrograph of the Hepatitis C Virus
("New Drug Combination Highly Effective for Hepatitis C." Forbes)

        The study held by North Shore University Hospital involved more than 400 subjects with genotype 1A, a subgroup of hepatitis C, without cirrhosis. The published study can be found here: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1402338. In the testing period for 12 weeks, subjects were given the experimental medications ABT-450/Ombitasvir and Dasabuvir with and without the antiviral drug ribavirin. In the end, the drugs cured 97 per cent of the test subjects. Because of its usage with oral directly acting antiviral agents(DAA), this medication could quickly replace currently lengthy injection-based treatments for hepatitis C such as pegylated interferon and ribavirin, which is poorly tolerated in some patients and not globally available.

        The cost for the treatment ($84,000 per course) would be very expensive for patients and insurers; however, Berstein's team believes that the 97% success rate in essentially 'curing' hepatitis C for thousands of people with the 1A genotype covers that worth.

Connection:

        In the unit of human body systems, we covered the circulatory system. We learned how blood is pumped throughout the body through the heart and its chambers, and its connection to the respiratory system to transport oxygen to and carbon dioxide from the body tissues. The liver is also a major organ for the function of the circulatory system. It recycles old blood cells, helps filter out blood toxins, and funcions in the manufacture and storage of glycogen to the body cells from the hormone insulin originating from the pancreas. With a homeostatic imbalance such as a viral infection, or large toxic concentrations in the blood, liver scarring (cirrhosis) can occur, and deteriorate with the development of liver cancer.

Article and Picture Citation:

       Pharma and Healthcare. "New Drug Combination Highly Effective for Hepatitis C." Forbes. Forbes. 2014. Web. 17 May 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2014/05/07/new-drug-combination-highly-effective-for-hepatitis-c/>.