Second All-Oral Hep C Treatment Available: Less Expensive
Share
Follow Us
The Editors at Hepatitis Central
November 13, 2014
Olysio has been approved, in combination with Sovaldi, for the treatment of Hepatitis C. It is approximately $30,000 less than Harvoni (both of which consist of 12 weeks of therapy).
J&J Wins U.S. Approval for Hepatitis C Combo With Gilead
By Anna Edney
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) won U.S. approval for its hepatitis C drug Olysio to be used in combination with Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD)’s Sovaldi, making it the second all-oral treatment available for the most common form of the virus.
The Food and Drug Administration cleared the once-daily treatment for patients with hepatitis C genotype 1, J&J said yesterday in a statement. The combination allows Olysio to be used without the standard therapies including interferon, an injection that sometimes has flu-like side effects.
Continue reading this entire article:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-05/j-j-wins-u-s-approval-for-hepatitis-c-combo-with-gilead.html
13 Comments
Treatment with Olysio plus Sovaldi, or even the newer treatment with Harvoni, still requires 24 weeks of treatment for patients with cirrhosis. I’m not sure which treatment is cheaper, but these treatments appear to be about equal in terms of effectiveness, however each treatment has it’s own unique stronger points in terms of the results of patient blood tests and other patient health profiles, prior to the starting of treatment.
I’m in my third month with the Olysio/Sovaldi only treatment. The nurse said that after just four weeks of the treatment there were no longer any signs of the Hep C virus in my blood. My doctor said that since the liver can replenish it’s own cells it’s not unheard of for a diseased liver (cirrhosis) can heal itself, providing of course that I only eat a liver-healthy diet. A year ago I only had a few short years to look forward to. Now a normal, healthy life is possible.
I am post-transplant and had completed two protocols, both with Peg and Ribo prior to transplant with no cure. I did this combo, completed it on Memorial Day of all days and cleared (Geno1-a). Been clear for almost 6 months now.
It was an experiment through UMMC in Balto for post-transplants since no one wants to risk trying anything for posts, and it was the easiest combo of all of them.
It’s about time the FDA got out of the way and approved this.
Wonder how many people didn’t make it while they f–ked around with the approval process.
It helps so much to hear stories of hope…I am a 43 year old femaile who is really suffering right now. I am trying so hard to fight the good fight. It is hard to live with the stigma of this disease. May God bless you all.
Cindy, quit worrying what others think, Wear it like a badge!
I dealt with HCV for over 20 years before everything hit the fan.
I have had and have many friends with HCV, so lived some didn’t.
Now I mentor others that have reached transplant stage.
Hopefully with these new protocols I’ll be done mentoring soon.
I have had hep C 3a since sometime before 1994. I had been promised treatment with the new , more successful drugs . I was advised against the Sovaldi and Ribavirin treatment and told that in October 2014 there would be a newer , more effective treatment available that was 100% effective against the 3a geno and much less expensive. Now it’s December and NO ONE WILL RETURN MY CALLS. They keep giving me appointments that are 3-4 months apart and then telling me the very same thing ” I’m going to talk to the doctor and I’ll call you with a plan in less than a week “. No one ever calls. I can’t even get a reason as to WHY I’m not beginning treatment.
last time they acted like they just found out that I am Anemic and because of that they don’t know what to do, Really ??
I see that Sovaldi and Abbvie NS5a are getting 100% cure rates and do not involve Ribavirin , seems like the thing for me since they said the only problem was Ribavirin causing more Anemia.
Who can I call to stop this run around ?? Without an actual refusal to treat can I even begin to try to get help ??
It certainly seems like every doctor that I have seen in the last few years is more than happy to just watch me die from lack of treatment to save some insurance company some money and prop up their profit line.
I just turned 60. Last January I took Solvaldi and Olysio for 12 weeks and the virus was gone in 2 weeks. I was btw state 3 and 4 with Chirrosis. Transplant had been discussed. I am now Hep C free. My liver function numbers are NORMAL and all my blood and platelet counts are slowly returning to normal. I am full of energy. I am up yearly going hiking or a yoga class and keep going all day. My Dr’s say they don’t even have a classification for me. I am considered cured. Although I still have damage to my liver my with my functions back to normal and my portal vein is working perfectly now with no obstructions. I eat a very clean diet … I will never drink again as I do not want that to destroy the damage the Hep C did for 32 years. I have a friend who just started the one pill Harvoni and says after 3 weeks is pretty much side effect free. I was very limp on the Solvaldi and Olysio and gained weight probably due to feeling sorry for myself and hardly any exercise. The weight is now coming off. Get on these drugs. They are out there … If your Dr want to put you with a combo with interferon or Ribeviron forget it. Find a specialist Dr who is prescribing the Gilliad miracle pills !! I did Peg Intron and Ribeviron twice. Never worked and I lost my hair and was very very sick. I am now cured. I still take my liver supporting supplements. I can’t believe that chapter in my life… The Sick Girl is OVER !! Get on these drugs. Don’t worry about the price. Your insurance and Gilliad work it out. I paid a total of $75 for 12 weeks of treatment. My friend on the new Harvoni pill is paying $15 !! The wonder drugs we have been waiting for are here. Go get healthy and well !!!! Like me !!! 🙂
Thanks so much for the info.My husband has Hep C and he hasn’t started his treatments yet.But he will be starting them soon we hope.He was taking some other meds before but they made him sick so he had to quit.But this new DR. that he is seeing saids there is other drugs out there now to cure him.I know it has taken a toll on our sex life,because we just don’t have one anymore.He feels real bad about it and I guess there isn’t anything we can do until he starts feeling better.
thank you so much everybody. I didn’t think I know how to get back to the site but I did find it and hopefully I’ll be able to do it again. that certainly was a good answer and I had a light bulb go off in my head last night yeah got a new doctor. all these stories Help thank you
these two drugs sovaldi and olysio worked like like a charm on me after 12 weeks. went on to week 20 and post labs and no virus detection and improved liver conditions. wow, that is amazing results. side effects were itching and aching but very manageable . very expensive but my liver Dr. and the insurance company along with help from Gilead got that job done. Thank you Gilead and my liver doctor for giving me a chance at a healthy choice. the companies that make the drugs will help you ,but the Dr. is the key . Not cheap ,but doable
It still angers me the way they say it’s like a flu, like the worst flu you ever had and severe muscle aches too.
Yeah well gi baxxxxxxds said they wanted to start process of getting it approved the new hep c drug that is. … then ins. Called and denied cuz they don’t know math. The gi docs could appeal and they know the formulary was okayed I think that is the same only in 2 separate pills. I took triple therapy a few years back but it affected my Hemoglobin way too much. Now this new onel..and I already have cirrhosis. …and now a unrelated hep genotype 1a. It is dermatomyositis. So now the gi docs need one of my many specialist to send notes on the definative skin dx cuz a side effect of this new high cure rate drug can cause rashes. Now the idiots knew that I had been complaining of a rash periodically t/o the last few yrs and last visit when they brought up starting this new hep c med…so what is new?? Not a damn thing. I swear they will let me die and frankly I hardly care now but would like to atleast give it a go first. I have to keep up on them or they’d forget about me all together. That is the difference of going to a speciality clinic as opposed to their private practice and their private practices do not take my ins. Medicare is giving me an advocate so I don’t have to do this alone. Yeah…so good luck to her cuz I fight hard for myself but getting tired of doing it. When I just read that postponing hep c type 1a was killing people I just got so mad. I am mad daily….I found out that had the one of the clinics docs they usually make me see knowing I don’t trust him could have taken my urine to test long ago and could have ruled out PCT long ago but no….I had t get really bad and and find out much later by a good dermatologist found it to be dermatomyositis and am seeing sev. Specialist. That I am lucky but the hep c….what has changed….I had a rash when they were going to try to get me tx and they…gi. ..new I had a rsh. It just is worse now. Maybe if the hep c was cured the other thing would get better. I swear I’mgoing in circles and going mad.
Please let us know what is the right medication to treat for type 6 hepatitis C? Thanks