Drug cures thalassemia patients of Hepatitis C

MUMBAI: A group of 29 thalassemia major patients had a reason to be happy on World Hepatitis Day on Friday. Each has been declared free of the virulent Hepatitis C virus (HCV) they got infected with during the blood transfusions they undergo every fortnight.

In a joint effort between NGOs Children's Liver Foundation and Think Foundation, these 29 patients were given sofosbuvir, the drug that cures Hepatitis C infections and costs between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000 for a three-to-six-month course.Hepatitis C, which roughly affects 9 million Indians, is the leading cause of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis or cancer. Thalassemia patients such as Sion resident 32year-old Imran Ali was diag 1nosed with HCV a decade back. “Earlier treatment didn't eliminate the virus.But last week, exactly a year after I was put on the drug, I am free of Hepatitis C," said Ali. Children's Liver Foundation's Dr Aabha Nagral said, “We used generic versions of sofosbuvir and it has worked well." The original imported drug's course worked up to Rs 1 crore in 2014.“

However, Dr Nagral said there is still reason for caution.

“Thalassemia patients need regular transfusions. Without a better method to quickly screen blood donors for HCV, there is a risk these thalassemia patients will pick up the virus once again." Incidentally , a quicker test called HCV core antigen test is likely to be launched in India soon, said Sushil G Devare, head of pharma major Abott's diagnostics research in Chicago.

“Unlike other tests, this one gives results on the same day . It will help doctors find out whether a patient has an active HCV infection or had one in the past,'' he said.

Devare said India's biggest problem is that 95% of the HCV patients don't know their status.

“Once a person is infected with HCV, it replicates into a trillion virus particles every day. HCV thus literally creates a time bomb in the body, affecting the liver.“