Hepatitis C (HCV) patients in Egypt will soon be able to receive the new Solvadi treatment, Minister of Health and Population Adel Al-Adawi announced at a press conference on 13 September. The new drug is considered a major breakthrough in the treatment of Hepatitis C. Beginning from 18 September, hepatitis-C sufferers who want to receive the drug can register online, at www.nccvh.org.eg. Depending on their eligibility, they will then be advised when and where they can start receiving the new treatment. According to the ministry's approved protocol, hepatitis patients between 18 and 70 years old will be able to receive the new treatment. “The safety of Sovaldi has not yet been shown for patients younger than 18 and older than 70,” Al-Adawi said. Al-Adawi said that patients will be able to receive the new treatment at Egypt's 26 National Centres for Hepatic Viruses. “The ministry has trained more than 700 physicians in the new treatment regimen for HCV patients,” he added, saying that some 60,000 HCV patients will receive the new treatment in the first phase. HCV has six genotypes. Patients who suffer from type three and four of the disease are reportedly cured after using the Sovaldi treatment. Patients eligible for immediate treatment are those suffering from either total or partial liver cirrhosis. “Priority will be given to patients with genotypes three and four. Patients who suffer from mild liver cirrhosis or don't suffer from cirrhosis, including patients infected with genotypes one, five and six, will be treated later,” Al-Adawi said. “Ninety per cent of HCV patients in Egypt suffer from genotype four HCV,” he added. Solvadi is of little benefit to patients experiencing liver failure, but according to Wahid Doss, head of the National Liver Institute, less critical cases respond well, especially in the absence of complications caused by weight gain, smoking and alcohol consumption. “The liver is capable of repairing itself within five to seven years,” Doss noted. Eligible patients will be treated with Sovaldi, Interferon and Ribavirin for 12 weeks. The combination of the three drugs halves the duration of treatment from six to three months, minimises side effects, and lowers costs. “The triple treatment conforms to the recommendations of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the European Association for the Study of the Liver. The treatment also helps treat those suffering from a relapse with minimal side effects,” Doss said. Doss said that patients unable to take Interferon will be examined by a committee to see whether they could benefit from a special treatment regimen. “HCV patients who are also suffering kidney failure, those who have had liver transplants, and those who are suffering from liver cancer will not be able to use Sovaldi,” he said. Hepatitis C is a potentially lethal virus that can cause cirrhosis and cancer of the liver. Egypt has one of the highest rates of hepatitis C infection in the world. Recent figures issued by the ministry of health revealed that there are 12 million patients suffering from hepatitis C in Egypt, or almost 10 per cent of the population. In some parts of Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta, infection rates reach 20 per cent. Treatment using the new Solvadi regimen costs some $95,000, but is being made available in Egypt at just $900. “HCV patients can be cured after eight weeks of using the new pill, compared with 12 weeks using the previous regimen,” Doss said. “The ministry has not yet undertaken consultations on the use of the new drug. We need to evaluate its impact, examine the overall status of patients, and then decide whether patients need the newest generation of the drug or not,” he said. Manal Masoud, 50, has been suffering from HCV since undergoing an operation in a private hospital in Egypt. “I have been treated with Interferon, but with no result. My doctor has encouraged me to apply for the new treatment, telling me that a 100 per cent cure is guaranteed. I hope he is right,” Masoud said. The ministry is also organising training courses in infection control for doctors and nurses in a bid to end unsafe medical practices. “Six out of ten new infections in Egypt are thought to be contracted in hospitals and clinics. Hairdressers and barbers are also possible sites of infection because HCV can be spread through contact with infected blood,” Doss said.
