Genetic Testing for Hep C Therapy Routine at Scripps Health
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Scripps Pioneers Individualized Medicine by Offering Genetic Testing to Hepatitis C Patients
Individualized Therapies Now Available for Drug Treatment of Hepatitis C
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Scripps Health is one of the first health systems in the United States to offer genetic testing as part of its care for hepatitis C patients planning to undergo drug treatment.
The tests offer hope to the more than 4 million patients diagnosed annually in the U.S. with hepatitis C and could spare them from taking interferon, which is commonly prescribed. Interferon causes flu-like symptoms as a side effect and costs more than $50,000 annually. Instead, the genetic test determines whether patients have a common gene variant that predicts a favorable cure rate if they are treated with the drug combination therapy of pegylated interferon and ribavirin.
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