Doubt expressed about potential of any single regimen to treat all hep C

Conference Coverage
Doubt expressed about potential of any single regimen to treat all hep C
Publish date: March 30, 2017
By: Ted Bosworth Family Practice News

PHILADELPHIA – Despite combination therapies for hepatitis C virus (HCV) that are now showing high rates of sustained viral remission (SVR) across all genotypes, a one-size-fits-all treatment will not be practical in the near future, according to a review of current and coming HCV therapies at Digestive Diseases: New Advances meeting held by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and Global Academy for Medical Education. Global Academy and this news organization are owned by the same company.

The presence of cirrhosis in some patients demonstrates the need for this care, for example. Many of the most effective single-pill DAA combinations are demonstrating high SVR rates for HCV patients with cirrhosis, but Dr. Brown said that identification of cirrhosis prior to HCV treatment “remains imperative.” Some pangenotypic therapies require a longer duration of treatment when cirrhosis is present, and patients with cirrhosis require posttreatment monitoring for decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients who have failed a prior anti-HCV regimen or who are in renal failure also require more individualized care.

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