Breakthrough Treatment for Hep C

(May 2014) A drug for hepatitis C, currently in clinical trials at the University of Colorado Hospital, was hailed in March as a cure for patients who previously have had to endure debilitating treatments.

“The word is cure. To me, the cure of hep C is one of the most significant medical developments of the last 50 years,” says Greg Everson, MD, professor of medicine and director of the section of hepatology. “We’ve been able to cure hep C since the early 1990s, but the older drug combinations had a much lower success rate. Sovaldi is the new backbone therapy.”

The drug, Sovaldi, is a daily dose pill that has cured about 90 percent of patients in 12 weeks when used with older drugs. Previously, patients took other pills and injections for up to a year and suffered from severe side effects.