In only one week, more than 175,000 hepatitis C virus (HCV) sufferers have registered to receive the newly available Sovaldi drug treatment. Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population announced last week that HCV patients should register online in order to be considered to receive the treatment. Al-Ahram Weeklywas in the control room on the first day of the website's launch and can report that Adel Al-Adawi, the minister of health and population, was present and interacted with some of the patients who were registering online. Mahasen Abdel-Samad, a 53-year-old HCV patient, told the minister that she was on the classic regimen of HCV treatment and had not seen any improvement in her condition. “I am suffering now from partial liver cirrhosis,” she said. “I hope Sovaldi will be effective with my condition.” Abdel-Rahman Ibrahim, a 65-year-old HCV patient, has suffered from the virus for the past 15 years. “My condition has become chronic. I don't know whether the new treatment will be effective with my condition or not. I am registering just in case. Who knows? I might get cured and be relieved from this nightmare,” said Ibrahim. Al-Daqahliya governorate has the highest numbers of registered HCV patients, at 21,803, according to the ministry. Al-Sharqiya governorate is second with 18,640, while there are 16,212 cases in Cairo governorate. At an earlier press conference, Health Minister Adel Al-Adawi announced that patients who have registered for treatment on the www.nccvh.org.eg website could go to the nearest medical centre for their free initial examination on 24 September. “The ministry has dedicated a hotline — 19153 — for inquiries but not for registration,” Al-Adawi said. “Through the hotline, patients will be able to ask questions about necessary procedures as well as the required documents to apply for the treatment.” Gamal Essmat, a member of the National Committee to Combat HCV, pointed out that patients are required to register with their full names and a valid ID number. Once that is done, within 24 hours they can find the nearest medical centre to be considered for the new Sovaldi treatment for HCV. Patients must first undergo several tests to diagnose the stage of their virus. “We must be sure that patients have been examined and received all the required medical tests in order to provide them with the proper dosage and treatment,” said Essmat. According to the results of medical tests, the ministry will decide whether or not the patient is eligible for the new treatment. Essmat said the aim of the website is to organise patients according to medical centres across the country: “There are 26 national centres for hepatic viruses across Egypt that are expecting patients in the upcoming period. Within the first few hours of the Health Ministry launching the website on 18 September, more than 17,000 patients had registered.” Essmat pointed out that the drug is available for both Egyptians living in the country and those who are living abroad. Around 10 per cent of registered patients live outside the country. They will be provided with Sovaldi if it is deemed medically appropriate. “Egyptians living abroad who are eligible for the new HCV treatment must be present in Egypt during the 12-week treatment period, so that the new treatment won't be smuggled abroad due to its special cheap price,” he explained. Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, spokesman of the Ministry of Health and Population, said that the newly launched website will be open for registrations until mid-July 2015. “Registration will be closed for a few months in order to evaluate the situation and calculate the rate of the medicine's success in curing hepatitis C patients. Registration will be reopened afterwards to receive further patients,” said Abdel-Fattah. According to health officials, priority among patients will be determined according to the severity of the patient's condition, not by the date of registration on the website. The Ministry of Health and Population has signed several agreements with national and international companies to provide the country with the required supplies to cure all HCV patients. “We have a contract with national and international companies to import all the required doses of the drug within the next 10 years,” said Abdel-Fattah. “The new HCV treatment guarantees the cure of 90 per cent of patients. In the past, conventional treatment for HCV used to last two years and would cure only 40 per cent of infected patients. The new drug is accomplishing the impossible.” Egypt has one of the highest rates of hepatitis C infection in the world. Recent figures issued by the Ministry of Health show that 12 million Egyptians, almost 10 per cent of the population, suffers from hepatitis C.
