What hepatitis C treatments are available to people depends upon their health insurance coverage.
"they want me to do 12 was of another drug plus interferon"
Sovaldi/sofosbuvir based treatments are the only recommended commercially available treatments. There are no 12 week treatments other than Sovaldi based treatments.
People with early liver disease stages F0-F2 can wait for better, non-interferon, non-ribavirin treatments coming by the end of this year and in future years.
AASLD (American Association for the Study of LIver Diseases) /IDSA (Infectoius Disease Society of America) Recommendations
INITIAL TREATMENT OF HCV INFECTION IN PATIENTS STARTING TREATMENT
http://www.hcvguidelines.org/full-report/initial-treatment-hcv-infection-patients-starting-treatment
Genotype 1
Recommended regimen for treatment-naive patients with HCV genotype 1 who are eligible to receive IFN.
Daily sofosbuvir (400 mg) and weight-based RBV (1000 mg [75 kg]) plus weekly PEG for 12 weeks is recommended for IFN-eligible persons with HCV genotype 1 infection, regardless of subtype.
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Recommended regimen for treatment-naive patients with HCV genotype 1 who are NOT eligible to receive IFN.
Daily sofosbuvir (400 mg) plus simeprevir (150 mg), with or without weight-based RBV (1000 mg [75 kg] for 12 weeks is recommended for IFN-ineligible patients with HCV genotype 1 infection, regardless of subtype.
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Alternative regimens for treatment-naive patients with HCV genotype 1 who are eligible to receive IFN.
Daily simeprevir (150 mg) for 12 weeks and weight-based RBV (1000 mg [75 kg]) plus weekly PEG for 24 weeks is an acceptable regimen for IFN-eligible persons with either
HCV genotype 1b or
HCV genotype 1a infection in whom the Q80K polymorphism is not detected prior to treatment.
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Alternative regimens for treatment-naive patients with HCV genotype 1 who are NOT eligible to receive IFN.
Daily sofosbuvir (400 mg) and weight-based RBV (1000 mg [75 kg]) for 24 weeks is an acceptable regimen for IFN-ineligible persons with HCV genotype 1 infection, regardless of subtype; however, preliminary data suggest that this regimen may be less effective than daily sofosbuvir (400 mg) plus simeprevir (150 mg), particularly among patients with cirrhosis.
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The following regimens are NOT recommended for treatment-naive patients with HCV genotype 1.
PEG/RBV with or without telaprevir or boceprevir for 24 to 48 weeks
Rating: Class IIb, Level A
Monotherapy with PEG, RBV, or a DAA
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RETREATMENT OF PERSONS IN WHOM PRIOR THERAPY HAS FAILED
http://www.hcvguidelines.org/full-report/retreatment-persons-whom-prior-therapy-has-failed
Recommended regimen for HCV genotype 1 PEG/RBV (without an HCV protease inhibitor) nonresponder patients:
Daily sofosbuvir (400 mg) plus simeprevir (150 mg), with or without weight-based RBV (1000 mg [75 kg]) for 12 weeks is recommended for retreatment of HCV genotype 1 infection, regardless of subtype or IFN eligibility.
Rating: Class IIa, Level B
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Recommended regimen for HCV genotype 1 PEG/RBV (with an HCV protease inhibitor) nonresponder patients:
Daily sofosbuvir (400 mg) for 12 weeks plus weight-based RBV (1000 mg [75 kg]) and weekly PEG for 12 to 24 weeks is recommended for retreatment of HCV genotype 1 infection, regardless of subtype.
Rating: Class IIb, Level C
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Alternative regimen for PEG/RBV (with or without an HCV protease inhibitor) nonresponder patients with HCV genotype 1.
Eligible to receive IFN:
Daily sofosbuvir (400 mg) for 12 weeks and weight-based RBV (1000 mg [75 kg]) plus weekly PEG for 12 to 24 weeks is an alternative for retreatment of IFN-eligible persons with HCV genotype 1 infection, regardless of subtype.
Rating: Class IIb, Level C
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Ineligible to receive IFN:
Daily sofosbuvir (400 mg) for 24 weeks and weight-based RBV (1000 mg [75 kg]) for 24 weeks is an alternative for retreatment of IFN-ineligible persons with HCV genotype 1 infection, regardless of subtype.
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Good luck.
Hector
Hi there! Hectors information is really great!
I have read that 11 states are not going to cover this under Medicare this year because it was approved late in the year. Others are requesting emergency assistance. Other States are balking. We just had a member on here who had to try Incivek first. While it seems some people are not having problems others are depending on their insurance coverage.
Many are finding financial help out there.
I am surprised your doctor is not even prescribing it. Can you talk directly to the doctor and tell him you can't take interferon? I have read of people on here who can't take interferon and they are on Sovaldi and Riba for 24 weeks. If you can't talk to your hepatologist can you find another one? The nurse should be able to explain why they are not prescribing it.
I don't know if this will help but I found this article about what is happening or was happening less than 2 months ago.. I would imagine this is quickly changing.
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2014/march/03/insurers-debate-who-should-get-costly-hepatitis-c-drug.aspx
Good luck, Dee