Hepatitis C drug Victrelis approved in Europe, hailed as major treatment advancement
(CBS) Hepatitis C sufferers in Europe may have a reprieve coming their way. The European Commission has approved Victrelis for patients with the potentially deadly viral liver disease who fail other treatment options.
" Victrelis is the first major advancement for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C approved in the EU in a decade, and represents an important step forward for people living with this serious disease and the physicians who treat them," Bruno Strigini, president of Europe/Canada Merck, said in a written statement.
The drug has been available in the U.S. since May 13. It's a pill that's taken three times a day in combination with standard hepatitis C treatments peginterferon alfa and ribavirin, and works by blocking an enzyme that helps the virus multiply. Studies have shown positive results for patients who hadn't responded to standard treatments, prompting the FDA's approval.
"This new medication provides an effective treatment for a serious disease, and offers a greater chance of cure for some patients' hepatitis C infection compared to currently available therapy." Dr. Edward Cox, director of the office of antimicrobial products at the FDA said in a statement at the time.
Common side effects include taste distortion, fatigue, nausea, headache, and anemia.
The drug's approval has been hailed as an important new step in the treatment of hepatitis C, which affects three million Americans.
"Regardless of the ultimate success of this drug, it's a harbinger of a great new era in treating patients with hepatitis C," Dr. Scott Friedman, chief of liver diseases at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, told the New York Times.
Hepatitis C inflames the liver and diminishes its function or damages it permanently. Many people with hepatitis C don't know they have it, until liver damage becomes apparent. The disease is spread by exposure to an infected person's blood, having sex with an infected person, sharing personal items like razors, needles, and toothbrushes, or from tattoo equipment.
The CDC has more on hepatitis C.