Hepatitis C cure approved by Health Canada

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(July 13, 2016) – Health Canada has approved a drug being touted as a cure for hepatitis C, a disease believed to have infected hundreds of thousands of Canadians, many of whom are unaware they harbour the virus.

The drug, sold under the brand name Epclusa, is a once-daily pill taken for 12 weeks that can rid the body of all six strains of hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus that can lead to severe liver damage and liver cancer if left untreated.

“This is really a cure,” Dr. Jordan Feld, a liver specialist at Toronto Western Hospital, said of the medication, also known by its generic chemical designation sofosbuvir-velpatasvir.

In a pre-approval clinical trial conducted by researchers led by Feld and published last November, 99 per cent of 624 patients given the drug were virus-free after three months.

The study looked at patients infected with one of five strains, or genotypes, of hepatitis C – 1,2,4,5 and 6. A second study of genotype 3 – an aggressive form most commonly found in people of South Asian descent – found the drug was effective in at least 90 per cent of cases, Feld said.

Previously approved treatments for chronic hepatitis C infection are not equally effective in combating the virus’ different forms. Testing to determine the particular genetic strain is required before treatment can start. As well, different drug combinations are required depending on whether a person has already developed cirrhosis or has certain other medical conditions.

Feld said because the combination of sofosbuvir-velpatasvir has been shown to work on all strains of the virus, it eliminates the need for such testing, which often delayed treatment and can be difficult to access for those living in rural or remote regions of the country.

“It’s important because if we’re going to address this at a public health level, we need to get (more) people, particularly primary-care physicians and even nurses, to start treating,” he said. “And I think this is the first step to really making that feasible.”

Having the one-size-fits-all drug also means patients unable to easily access large urban health centres may not need to see a specialist in person.

“I can now help a family doctor or even a nurse up in northern Canada somewhere treat the person locally,” Feld said. “They never need to see me, and the treatments are getting simple enough that it’s really straightforward and works for all populations.”