The beeb reports clinical trials showing 90%+ clearance of Hepatitis C in clinical trials.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26987653
However....
Over 200,000 cases in the UK, and at 40 grand a pop for a course of treatment, that adds up to £80bn to treat every case.
Which is roughly 1 year's budget for the entire NHS.
Methinks some serious price-cutting will be required or monumental feet-dragging will be happening (as it appears to be a 3 horse race between Gilead, Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb I'm sure a 'deal' can be done).
Last edited by: Lygonos on Sun 13 Apr 14 at 21:47
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An amazing breakthrough in the treatment of Hep C but:
"The study did not show if the probability of cancer dropped in the long term, if cirrhosis was reversed or progression to total liver failure slowed.
Whether or not the treatment prevented further transmission in the public was also yet to be seen".
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Indeed - to show these effects however would require quite a few years I suspect, as Hep C can take decades to cause cirrhosis, and cirrhosis may take some years to lead to cancer (if ever).
It appears the studies are in groups already fairly damaged by the virus (ie with cirrhosis) - presumably the clearance of the virus prior to this damage is for further study.
A bit analogous to waiting til someone has AIDS before offering anti-HIV treatment, rather than treating at an early stage of infection.
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Hepatitis C 'cure' - Dog
