ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WUSA) -- Approximately 50 percent of chronic hepatitis C patients do not respond to their initial course of therapy, according to Bruce R. Bacon M.D. of Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Dr. Bacon is the lead investigator of the registration trial for Infergen, a new treatment for Hepatitis C patients that recieved FDA approval last month.
Dr. Bacon says, "The FDA's recognition of the expanded label allows patients failing therapy a safe and efficacious retreatment strategy."
This is good news for 59 year-old Hubert "Shep" Sheppard. Shep is a physically active man who bikes 60 miles a week and used to jump out of airplanes as a paratrooper. Now he is a private detective.
However, the one challenge that could have cost Shep his vitality, even his life, was Hepatitis C.
Shep says, "I have no idea where I got it. I was totally shocked I had this disease."
He adds, "I probably had it for a while, and had no indications of it."
In Shep's case, the chronic infection was attacking his liver. His first round of treatment wasn't enough to clear it.
Shep says, "There's some difference in African-Americans in that we don't respond well to some treatment."
Dr. Jonathan McCone of Alexandria, Virginia says Hepatitis C can be a silent killer.
Dr. McCone says, "Its basically not a sexually transmitted disease. Its not transmitted by kissing or sneezing in somebody's face, or breathing the same air. It's a blood-to-blood disease."
He adds, "One can end up with advanced liver disease, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and the need for liver transplant."
Fortunately Shep was able to take advantage of Infergen, given daily with ribivirin pills, it delivers a one-two punch to the virus.
The down-side, the regimen that lasts for months also delivers a whallop of side effects from extreme fatigue to weight and hair loss, and anemia.
But Shep says he approached it with a military mind-set.
Shep says, "I just saw it as a personal combat between me and this disease, and I just thought that one of us is going to be carried out in a box and its not going to be me."
Shep tested clean of the virus last year, and is now considered cured.
There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C, like there is for A and B.
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