New Zealand Hepatitis C Blog The good news

The Good News about Coffee

Patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drink three or more cups of coffee per day have a 53% lower risk of liver disease
progression than non-coffee drinkers according to a new study led by Neal Freedman, Ph.D., MPH, from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The study found that patients with hepatitis C-related bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis who did not respond to standard disease treatment benefited
from increased coffee intake. An effect on liver disease was not observed in patients who drank black or green tea. Findings of the study appear
in the November issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
Three cups a day and a 53% lower risk of progression that has to make coffee a good option for those with hep c.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122511224/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

The Good news for new treatment options  Telaprevir

Good news for People with Genotype one Hepatitis C is the latest results of the new drug telaprevir
Cork, Ireland (October 31, 2009) –Tibotec announced today results of a new study (VX950-C208), which showed that sustained virologic response (SVR)
was achieved in more than 80 percent of treatment-naïve patients with chronic genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) who took telaprevir, administered either
every 8 hours or every 12 hours, in combination with standard of care. Telaprevir, an investigational STAT-C (Specifically Targeted Antiviral Therapy for hepatitis C),
is being co-developed by Tibotec in collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The study was presented today at the 60th Annual Meeting of the
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (The Liver Meeting).

In the phase II study, which enrolled 161 treatment-naïve genotype 1 patients, rates of SVR (defined as undetectable HCV RNA at 24 weeks after completion of treatment)
ranged from 81 to 85 percent in patients treated with the every 8 hour telaprevir-based regimen, and 82 to 83 percent in patients treated with the every twelve hour regimen.
Adverse events (AEs) were similar to those observed in other trials with telaprevir and were mainly haematologic (anaemia) and cutaneous (rash and pruritus) in nature.

For the vast majority of patients, these high SVR rates were obtained with only 24 weeks of total treatment (half the duration of current standard of care).
Total duration of treatment was decided using a criteria based on treatment response. Subjects who achieved undetectable HCV RNA at week 4
(rapid virologic response or RVR) and maintained this through week 20, were allowed to stop all treatment at week 24. Only 18% of subjects were required to continue standard treatment up to week 48.

Source: Johnson & Johnson Services

Good news for me

My post treatment 24 week viral load came back undetectable

The Good news from www.womanaloud.co.uk

Had some good feedback from my last Blog post In particular from Tracy  at  http://www.womanaloud.co.uk/index.html A peer among peers.

” I wish you good health and a sharp pen. Raising awareness of hepatitis C is an uphill struggle… but day by day, one step at a time, it is happening. It is interesting to consider that, if we could get over the brain fog ; D, there are enough of us in the world with this condition, to form our own group/religion/club… if 180 million sufferers were all to shout on the same day, at the same time… mmm … I think I’ll put the kettle on. ”

Thanks Tracy great message. Just off to have a cup of tea myself,  maybe  a coffee as it seems that may be better for me.

Best of Health

www.hcv.org.nz