About 1,400 British Columbians have been treated for hepatitis C in the first four months since new anti-viral medications were covered by the province’s public drug plan — far above predictions.
The Ministry of Health expected 1,500 patients in the first full year for the pill-based medication.
Dr. Mel Krajden, medical head of hepatitis at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, says the numbers reflect pent-up demand from patients seeking the latest treatments.
“A lot of people who are infected follow the literature on these drugs and they were waiting for the newer ones. It’s a whole group of people who realized these medications are more effective, better tolerated with fewer side effects and work over a shorter period of time,” Krajden said at a World Hepatitis Day event Tuesday in Vancouver.
- See more at: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Hepatitis+treatments+skyrocket+after+pill+based+drugs+covered+plan/11249876/story.html#sthash.MT3sDoLJ.dpuf
Showing posts with label BC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BC. Show all posts
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Canada: Williams Lake gets Hepatitis C clinic
Waiting times for people in the Cariboo seeking treatment to cure Hepatitis C will be shorter now that a new clinic has opened in Williams Lake.
Every month Dr. Alexandra King and clinical research nurse Shawn Sharma will run the clinic for a few days out of the Atwood Clinic in co-operation with local family doctor Jolien Steyl, who already runs an HIV-Aids clinic.
“As a family doctor it’s been a nightmare getting patients treated,” Steyl said. “They either have to travel really far or they don’t get started on treatment because the waiting lists are long.”
King and Sharma work at the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre (VIDC) where King is an internal medicine specialist.
Read more...
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Canada: Multiple Provinces Align to Provide Public Funding for Harvoni™, the First Single Tablet Regimen for the Treatment of Genotype 1 Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection
-- Reimbursement of Harvoni Within Five Months of Health Canada Notice of Compliance Brings Patients Earlier Opportunity for a Cure --
Public reimbursement comes after a positive recommendation from the Common Drug Review, and as a result of a productive collaboration between Gilead Canada and the Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) to ensure participating provinces are able to provide timely access to patients in need of curative treatment. This review, co-led by the BC Ministry of Health and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, resulted in an agreement with member provinces to fund the innovative therapy for patients.
“We have been waiting for an innovative therapy like Harvoni since interferon was first used to treat the disease,” said Dr. Alnoor Ramji, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology), University of British Columbia. “This is a transformative, interferon-free therapy, with a combination of high cure rates, good tolerability and simplicity of treatment. Harvoni provides patients with the confidence to commit to therapy and a very high probability to achieve a cure.”
Current treatments include interferon and ribavirin that often exclude patients from treatment or lead to early discontinuation of treatment due to associated side effects. Harvoni represents a significant advance in the treatment of genotype 1 HCV infection, the most prevalent genotype in Canada. Harvoni is the only once-daily, single tablet regimen that offers cure rates between 94 and 99 per cent, eliminates the need for interferon and ribavirin, and shortens the duration of treatment to as little as eight weeks for many patients. Eight weeks of treatment with Harvoni can be considered for treatment-naïve patients without cirrhosis who have baseline HCV viral load below 6 million IU/mL. Recently, the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver updated the Canadian consensus guidelines on the management of hepatitis C and recommended Harvoni as first-line therapy for all genotype 1 patients.
“Today’s announcement recognizes the significant health-system and societal benefits associated with curing this disease and preventing its complications,” said Dr. Paul Marotta, Associate Professor, University of Western Ontario and with London Health Sciences Centre. “Access to Harvoni will help us confront this serious public health issue and start formulating longer-term solutions that may prove relevant to the hepatitis C disease elimination efforts across Canada.”
In a recent article, “Burden of disease and cost of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in Canada,” (Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology), leading Canadian hepatitis C specialists highlighted an expected 205 per cent increase in cases of liver cancer, a 160 per cent increase in liver-related deaths, and a 60 per cent increase in total healthcare costs over the next 20 years.2 Recently, the article was recognized with a scientific award for its groundbreaking research in Canada.
In addition to Harvoni, Gilead Canada’s Sovaldi® (sofosbuvir) has also been listed for public reimbursement for chronic HCV genotypes 1, 2 and 3 infection in multiple provinces.
“We live in an era of rapid evolution in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection, and Gilead Canada is pleased that our collaboration with the pCPA has allowed multiple provinces to recognize the clinical value of Harvoni as a simple, well tolerated and curative therapy for patients living with genotype 1 HCV,” said Edward Gudaitis, General Manager, Gilead Sciences Canada, Inc. “Gilead Canada will continue to work closely with all provinces and territories to bring this cost-effective, once-daily treatment to patients across Canada.”
Read complete press release here
Friday, January 2, 2015
Canada: B.C. medical researchers offer treatment by prevention for hepatitis C
Innovation: While stressing there is still work to be done when it comes to fighting HIV/AIDS – other provinces have not seen the same progress as B.C., and rates remain high in some First Nations communities – Dr. Montaner said one area he is watching is treatment of hepatitis C.
“I think one of the most exciting developments that is happening is the emergence of new treatment – highly effective, very simple, extremely well tolerated, but unfortunately very expensive – for hepatitis C.” - Julio Montaner, director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Mel Krajden, medical head of hepatitis – clinical prevention services at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, said between 70,000 and 80,000 British Columbians have hepatitis C, a chronic liver disease.
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