Any new news about Hep.C new cure ??

[MedoZero]

Hi again my family . well 4 me and lots of poor ppl who can't afford the cost of the non 100% effective  of the current cure which is interferon we just wait to find if there will be a new cure 100% effective  working or not , i am asking if there is some research about may find a 100% effective cure  in the comming 5 years or so !!!!. living in a hope is somtimes good .
by the way i think of my Hep.C much more i think about any other thing in my life .
Yours
MedoC ooops i mean MedoZero lol

[Kalio1]

Here is a comprehensive list of the various upcoming treatments in the "pipeline"
You might have to register to see it but it is free.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/468215_4


Personally I believe that eventually we will have a cocktail of drugs that will be more effective and shorter duration but I do not believe that will happen for at least 5+ years, VX950 included.

[PhoenixFawks]

I concur with your statement and find no conflict between our words.

Reasonable people can differ on interpretation, parsing, and guessing the intent of language used by others.

I remain optimistic, based on what is common knowledge today, that, "there will be a 100% effective cure in the coming 5 years or so" (as the question was originally posed), for HCV.  The key word is, "effective".

Which agents to you find equally promising, if not more so than VX-950?  I would like to familiarize myself  with your understanding.

Thank you very much for sharing your time and experience.

--pf

[Kalio1]

Many substances can supress the virus well, the question is can it be kept that way permanently. We do not have SVR data showing that VX950 can do this. All the recipients of this drug in the trials are either still on  SOC or just nearing the finish line now. They took the VX950 and then stayed on standard treatment for the remainder of the 48 weeks, we don't know how they did yet.

Until we have SVR data we just don't know.

There is a lot of hype around this drug but the truth is there are many other "pipeline" drugs in the works right now that look equally as promising, some even more so. there are about a dozen new ones starting trials in 2007.

ALL of them will need to be taken WITH Interferon/Ribavirin.

[PhoenixFawks]

Sorry, GrandOak, but  I do not share your pessimism. Undoubtedly, you and I have read the same news and have come to different conclusions.  I cannot concur with your second paragraph.

Might I suggest that medozero read the following article and then draw his/her own conclusion?:

  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/548123

Two of my favorite paragraphs:

"VX-950 was effective in reducing viral load in a population in which 79% of patients had not responded to prior interferon-based regimens," the authors point out. Combination treatment with pegylated interferon-alfa and ribavirin, they add, "is effective in only approximately 50% of patients."

Dr. Reesink noted that "while these data are from early clinical studies, the degree of viral suppression observed is unprecedented and has led to well-justified optimism about the potential for VX-950 to lead a transformation in the treatment of HCV."

peace out…pf

[GrandOak]

As one for whom the treatment failed, I can understand you reluctance to treat.  Also, as I look at how much I spent for meds and doctors on a treatment that failed me, even with near full insurance coverage, along with how much I see it would have cost me without insurance, I also know how the treatment can be out of the reach of many.  Often I think about how the money I spent on a treatment which failed me could have been put to better use if I had given it to help others and how it has left me still fighting the disease with little left to provide for my family.

I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but the unfortunate fact is that currently there does not appear to be any cures on the horizon. All meds I see being tested simply augment the current treatment to try an make it more bearable and effective.  Thus, it would appear that they will simply increase the costs and it is yet to be determined how much more effective they will make the treatment.

If more people knew how wide spread this insidious disease was and how many people it affects world wide, more would be done.  Perhaps if you let others in your country, or passing through, who are working to bring aide to others know of your plight and that of others, it will help raise the level of that awareness and more will be done.

I wish you well and will keep you in my thoughts as we hope for better and longer days ahead in our lives.

[MedoZero]

Thanks alot for reply and i have to say that i am not live in the states i am Egyptian so may be the committment to care will not do any thing 4 me , and also that number well cost me $$ to call them and ask about if they can afford the cure for egyptians or what + may be they will need some prove that i have Hep.C to send me the cure so how can i send them the PCR result or any thing can prove this > is there a branch in Egypt ?? well i am asking all these questions and i already know the answers - No it will not support me ..............

[Myown]

Sorry to hear what you are going through. I understand how hep c is always on your mind,,,thats how we all feel.

the committment to care the NYgirl mentioned phone # is 1-800-521 7157. You should at least give them a call. the meds would be free.

hoffman la roche also has a patient assistance program to enroll call 1-877- Pegasys.

And yes, it is good to have hope, as you stated. The researchers are finding out more and more about hep c, so yes a few more years down the road, things will look better for us all, but until then, maybe you should consider calling for assistance. You do have a chance of clearing the virus with current meds also.

wish you the best.

[NYgirl]

Hey did you ever call Comittment to Care or one of those programs? They supply my meds for free for me.

For some reason a LOT of obsess about this disease. Maybe because we can see "numbers" (VL) and stuff. I don't know what is is but you are not alone as you know.

I hope you are doing well!