A new drug to combat hepatitis C, hailed as the biggest step forward in the fight against the disease for a decade, is likely to be approved for use on the NHS.
By Stephen Adams, Medical Correspondent
6:45AM GMT 09 Mar 2012
Boceprevir, which can clear the most common form of the hepatitis C virus from up to 70 per cent of patients, has been recommended for prescription by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice).
Tens of thousands of patients could benefit if Nice confirms the final draft guidance that it has issued today, as is expected.
Around 200,000 people in Britain are thought to carry the hepatitis C virus, of which up to half have the most common subtype, called Genotype 1. However, only about half know they are hep C positive.
At the moment those diagnosed are offered two drugs together, peginterferon alfa and ribavirin.
Dr Stephen Ryder, a Nottingham-based consultant hepatologist, said these managed to cure about 40 per cent of new patients. Adding boceprevir to the drug treatment boosted that to about 70 per cent, he said.
"This is a big deal," he said. "It's the biggest step since standard treatment was introduced, about a decade ago."
He hoped it would prompt those at high risk of being carriers to come forward to be tested.
He said many did not because the chances of being cured were relatively low.
"It's a big psychological thing to say, 'This is more likely to work than not," he added.
Adding boceprevir, marketed as Victrelis by developer MSD, to the drug regime increases treatment cost from about £10,000 to £25,000, he said. However, Nice has decided this "represents a cost-effective use of NHS resources".
Charles Gore, chief executive of the Hepatitis C Trust, described the drug as "a step change" in treatment.
"It's the first step into a new era. While peginterferon alfa and ribavirin boost the immune system, this targets the virus itself and stops it replicating."
Hepatitis C, which causes liver damage including cirrhosis and can trigger cancer, is normally contracted from a contaminated blood transfusion or intravenous drug use.
Some people go decades without developing symptoms, while others show them quickly. Many are plagued by poor health without knowing the underlying cause, leading it to be dubbed the "silent epidemic".
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