Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Physicians Greet New HCV Drug Zepatier Cautiously

Medscape Medical News
Clinician Insights
Physicians Greet New HCV Drug Zepatier Cautiously
Robert Lowes

The debut of a new drug called elbasvir/grazoprevir (Zepatier, Merck) for adults infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1 and 4 has not generated much excitement among physicians, at least not yet, according to a Medscape Medical News survey.

Only 11% of physicians said they would prescribe the new drug, touted for cure rates topping 90%, to at least half of their patients who meet the indication in the first year. And although 17% said they felt comfortable with elbasvir/grazoprevir compared with other HCV drugs and would quickly start prescribing it, the majority of physicians expressed a more cautious approach.

These patterns also held true among gastroenterologists, who treat slightly more patients with HCV than their peers and claim to know more about the new drug, although they were slightly more likely (16%) to prescribe it for a majority of their eligible patients in the coming 12 months.

Lack of familiarity with the drug and its cost, as well as the availability of rival therapies, may help explain the quiet reception of elbasvir/grazoprevir, several experts toldMedscape Medical News.



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