New Drugs May Eradicate Hepatitis C

John DiFazio has been to war, fought fires and beat cancer – but his battle with hepatitis C has been the longest. The 62-year-old Vietnam War veteran and retired firefighter has lived with the virus for more than two decades. With six unsuccessful treatments under his belt, he did not expect two tiny pills to cure him of the chronic disease. Known under the brand names of Sovaldi and Olysio, the new “miracle drugs” have been shown to cure about 90 percent of their targeted patients without producing any of the harsh side effects seen from older medications. They also carry a hefty price tag – roughly $150,000 for a 12-week course of treatment for the two drugs. The high cost has left some questioning whether curing hepatitis C is worth it. “All my blood work is normal right now. I have never been normal for 20 years,” DiFazio told International Business Times on his second-to-last day of treatment on Sovaldi and Olysio. “I’m amazed. You really want to jump up for joy.” Sovaldi and Olysio, which are known as sofosbuvir and simeprevir, respectively, are made by two pharmaceutical companies: Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) and Janssen Therapeutics (NYSE:JNJ). Each blocks the hepatitis C virus from replicating. The pills, which were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December, are administered orally and can be used combination with existing hepatitis C treatments to eradicate the virus. A 12-week regimen of Sovaldi has an estimated cost of $84,000 or $1,000 a day in the United States. Olysio can cost more than $66,000. via, ibtimes