Researchers suggest adding a new drug boceprevir to a two-drug treatment can enhance outcomes for hepatitis C patients, according to a USA Today news report.
The drugs currently used to treat hepatitis C are Copegus, Rebetol, RibaTab and Ribasphere. However, adding boceprevir, a protease inhibitor that has yet to be approved, may increase response rates in previously untreated patients, said Raj Reddy, MD, researcher and director of hepatology and medical director of liver transplantation at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Results from Dr. Reddy's research demonstrated response rates from black patients who received standard care plus boceprevir were more than twice that of black patients who received standard care alone. Among non-black patients, patients who underwent standard care demonstrated a 40 percent response rate, compared to a 68 percent response rate for those who underwent standard care with boceprevir. This new treatment could also effectively reduce therapy duration from 48 weeks down to 28 weeks, according to the news report.
Read the news report about boceprevir improving hepatitis C treatment.
Read other coverage about hepatitis C:
- Cirrhosis and HCC Increasing Among Hepatitis C Patients
- Nevada Urologist's License Suspended for Allegedly Reusing Single-Use Medical Device
- New York Physician Put on Probation for Violating Infection Control Standards
The drugs currently used to treat hepatitis C are Copegus, Rebetol, RibaTab and Ribasphere. However, adding boceprevir, a protease inhibitor that has yet to be approved, may increase response rates in previously untreated patients, said Raj Reddy, MD, researcher and director of hepatology and medical director of liver transplantation at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Results from Dr. Reddy's research demonstrated response rates from black patients who received standard care plus boceprevir were more than twice that of black patients who received standard care alone. Among non-black patients, patients who underwent standard care demonstrated a 40 percent response rate, compared to a 68 percent response rate for those who underwent standard care with boceprevir. This new treatment could also effectively reduce therapy duration from 48 weeks down to 28 weeks, according to the news report.
Read the news report about boceprevir improving hepatitis C treatment.
Read other coverage about hepatitis C:
- Cirrhosis and HCC Increasing Among Hepatitis C Patients
- Nevada Urologist's License Suspended for Allegedly Reusing Single-Use Medical Device
- New York Physician Put on Probation for Violating Infection Control Standards