New drug approved for hepatitis C

USA approve new drug for hepatitis

08/12/2013

On Friday, a new drug was approved for hepatitis C in the US. Sovaldi, so the name of the remedy, represents a significant advance in the fight against the virus disease. Significantly involved in the development was an Austrian.

Less side effects than traditional remedies
On Friday, US regulators gave the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences the go-ahead for a new drug for the dangerous hepatitis C liver disease. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the Sovaldi drug represents a significant advance in the fight against viral disease. The tablets, also known as sofosbuvir, would, according to several studies, help significantly more patients and have fewer side effects than traditional drugs.

170 million people are infected
It is estimated that more than 170 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C, of ​​which about 3.2 million are in the United States. The disease is transmitted by blood. There is no vaccine yet. Some typical symptoms at the onset of the disease, such as fever, body aches, nausea or fatigue, are often perceived as a suspected influenza infection. If hepatitis C is not treated, chronic liver inflammation (yellow eyes) is the result and, as a consequence, liver cancer may develop as a result of this.

Cost-intensive therapy
Significantly involved in the development of the drug was the Austrian Norbert Bischofberger, Vice President of Gilead Sciences. He is also the developer of the flu drug Tamiflu and is therefore often called „Mr. Tamiflu“ designated. With the now approved funds 90 percent of all cases of hepatitis C can be cured within 12 weeks, but at a high price: one tablet costs 1,000 US dollars, or about 730 euros, which in a 12-week treatment around 61,000 euros results. The drug is expected to reach $ 1.9 billion next year, according to estimates by BMO Capital Markets.

Soon also in Europe
Sofosbuvir has also been well received by the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use and is therefore expected to be approved by the EU Commission within three months at the latest. Other pharmaceutical companies are also working on new drugs against hepatitis C, such as Boehringer Ingelheim from Germany, Bristol-Myers Squibb or AbbVie. The goal is to replace older standard therapies with the drug to be injected interferon, as this can cause serious side effects. (Ad)