Hello
I wonder If you could give me some information about treatment of hepatitis c please ? My aunt has hepatitis c and cirrhoses . She lives in IRAN . She is 65 years old and her doctor told that they do not have treatment for her . I have heard that there is a treatment available in uk in 2015 but It is very expensive . Is it possible to send her medicine documents to buy these medicine for her and send it off to IRAN ?
Thank you
Not from the UK no. Treatment has to be supervised and monitored by a doctor in the country where the patient lives.
Hello,
Very sorry to hear about your aunt, that is terrible news.
There is treatment for Hepatitis C which can clear the virus. Below are links from the National Health Service in the UK and The British Liver Trust.
nhs.uk/Conditions/Hepatitis...
britishlivertrust.org.uk/li...
It is certainly possible to get treatment in the UK but I don't imagine any doctor will do it by mail - they would want to see the patient. You might consider contacting a private Liver Clinic in the UK to ask them. If you google "private liver clinic uk" you will find some. They may however be willing to treat your aunt in conjunction with a local doctor.
Alternatively, and this may be better for a number of reasons, especially cost, find a nearer country where you can get the same drugs, India possibly might be a good alternative for example.
One thing to beware of though, clearing the virus will still leave her with cirrhosis which will have to be monitored and managed. If the cirrhosis is advanced enough then she may need a liver transplant anyway, although in that case it would still be better to clear the virus.
Hope that helps,
Best Regards.
Thank you very much for your reply
Well said, Mister X as always! I am one of those patients who has had the treatment, and thus far as cleared my body, but yes, it was too late to stop the seriousness of my cirhossis, and I am currently on the transplant list. But it's still a great thing, because it should make for a better transplant graph, and hopefully, then the new liver will not contract it either!
Cheering you on!
Hello there.
I'm so sorry to hear about your aunt.
The new medication is available in the US and the UK. It was first given out in the US, last 2014 I believe.
In the UK, until recently you had to be chosen or meet a certain standard, health wise, to take the medication. After those patients received it, they now have it for everyone, as prescribed by the doctor.
It is very expensive, and is two different medications taken mostly for 12 weeks in the UK, but I've heard its frequently prescribed for 24 weeks in the US.
The cost here in the UK is about £729.00 per pill for the main drug. That's called ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, but is commonly called Harvoni. (The maker) here in the UK. That along with a more common, far cheaper drug, which has been used in the past in conjunction with the treatment of interferon, is the new treatment.
(Although, the second drug can make you a bit nauseous and the doctor can stop it, without it harming the main Harvoni treatment) it's far cheaper than the new pill, which is taken once daily and looks like a big peach vitamin.
They have had major success with this drug, especially if you have a genome type 1, which, the past, was harder to treat with the year long interferon treatment. There has been not as much sucess if you are a genome type 3, but it's my understanding they are working on that now.
I just finished this treatment, having lived with Hep C for over 20 years. After one month, my blood work no longer showed Hep C in my system. It's an amazing thing! It really is! Especially when you consider that the interferon used prior to this drug did not always work, was terrible on the body as a whole, and had side effects that were dangerous, including serious depression and suicide in some cases. Interestingly,we recently met a man who also received the Harvoni. He was older,and he had actually contracted the disease in Iran. After delivering medical supplies for work, he was in a car crash. At the hospital, the blood transfusion they gave him was sadly, contaminated with Hep C. He had no clue whatsoever until just a few short years ago. No one would have tested him, because for years, unless you were an alcoholic, or serious drug user, or living some type of high risk life style, you did not get the battery of tests for STDs and virusis like HIV and Hep C. (That's how it was done in the US. I am a US citizen, but am living in the UK now..that's how I know about both countries) Now it's thought to have been in a lot of blood supplies, etc.
I have no idea about the laws, and getting it, but at least you now know what it is they are referring too. Hope that helps!
People often live with Hep C with no complications for years. I know I did until 3 years ago. I would guess the drug will be available in other countries in the coming years, as it is a bit of an epidemic everywhere, which is why they have been working so hard to find a cure, or a fix, like this.
Hope your aunt is feeling ok, and that she is able to get this medication in the very near future.
Also, obviously, the medication seems to be cheaper in the US in some places..I'm not sure why, and also, the U.S. dollar is normally about $1.50 ish to £1.00
Best regards, Kimberly
Thank you for your very useful information . I am thinking to ask a privet clinic .Hope all goes well at transplant assessment xx
Mahasti
You might consider starting here, King's College is a world leader in the treatment of liver issues.
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