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Episode 3 | Hep C Treatment: The New and Improved Model

Did you know hep C is usually curable? Treatment has also come a long, LONG way from what it used to be! In this episode, Daryl and Kerri discuss what hep C treatment looks like in 2020, how it’s taken, and discuss common questions people have about treating their hep C–including side effects.

Have questions about treatment, or hep C in general? Reach out to a peer who gets it at Help4Hep BC. Call or text 1-888-411-7578
Learn more: bchep.org

 

Our podcast music theme music is by Scott Holmes, and our video theme music is by Bensound.

Get information about hep C treatment:

bchep.org/GetTreated
HepCTIP.ca

A peer navigator can refer you to a care provider who can treat hep C near you in British Columbia. Reach out by call or text at 1-888-411-7578 or visit Help4HepBC.ca,

[Intro music]

 

Kerri: Hi my name is Kerri from the Pacific Hepatitis C Network, I am back again with Daryl, and today we’re going to talk about hepatitis C treatment.
So we know in the last several years hepatitis C treatment has changed from what it used to be. Can you tell us some more about what hepatitis c treatment is like today?

 

Daryl: Hepatitis C treatment now, and that’s been true for the last five, six years, is much easier than it used to be as recently as six years ago all that was available was interferon and ribavirin therapy and it was difficult and for some people– they weren’t able to complete. I, myself, treated with interferon and ribavirin 11 years ago and it was very difficult. The modern treatments that are available now, and there are a few, are pan-genotypic meaning of course that they work on all genotypes and the effectiveness is around 95–north of 95 percent–meaning that nearly 95 to 100 of people who do treat with these new direct-acting antivirals will be cured.

The side effects–people often ask me about side effects and I basically tell them that on the extremes some people will, will say that they haven’t felt better in years, while others will say they’ve never felt worse, and the truth is for most people we will experience minor side effects. Typically a headache is common, some gastro issues, digestive problems but generally speaking from from what, what I hear from people–and I’ve spoken to hundreds of people who have treated with these medications the side effects are fairly minimal and they resolve in a matter of weeks in treatment.

 

Kerri: So, um how is new hepatitis c treatment taken?

 

Daryl: it’s all oral. Interferon was injection-based, typically subcutaneous so people like myself would inject into their belly or thigh–somewhere where there was a bit of fat, a bit of tissue and uh yeah, So all oral and not all are single pill but uh there, there are options and again you know there are some that have specific benefits over others.

 

And there is one rescue medication for people who may experience treatment failure and–and I say the treatment failed because it’s not a failure of the person and generally that occurs uh from drug resistance with people that had, have treated before or they have a genetic marker that will make them resistant to certain treatments.

 

Kerri: And how long do people typically have to take a hepatitis c treatment for?

 

Daryl: Well, that’s been a big change. The interferon-ribavirin era was typically 6 months to 12 months, roughly 24 to 48 weeks. Now it’s 8 to 12 weeks so the duration of treatment is much shorter, not only uh much less difficult in terms of side effects and much more effective whereas the older treatment was about 40 to 50 percent effective new treatments again are nearly a hundred percent for all people who treat.

 

Kerri: Excellent and uh do you talk to people who have difficulty in one way or another accessing treatment whether that’s due to coverage issues or you know having issues uh finding someone to help them get on to treatment?

 

Daryl:  Well yes there, there certainly remain barriers uh it really depends on the jurisdiction here in British Columbia. There are no restrictive criteria in terms of how much damage you have to your liver which was true here up until just a couple of years ago when the–that criteria of F2 and greater meaning stage 2 fibrosis or greater before people could access treatment. That’s gone, there are no restrictions on sobriety here in British Columbia either but in many jurisdictions there are, still remain restrictive criteria and we’re very fortunate here in BC not to have those same restricted criteria in terms of accessing treatment um you know we certainly through it through our work through our helpline and our other work we have helped people to to secure treatment to find a physician, a treating physician, and that kind of activity is part of what we do.

 

Kerri: Excellent, if people have questions about treatment you can certainly contact the helpline as well as visit our Hep C Treatment Information Project website at hepcTIP.ca – and Daryl what is the phone number for the helpline?

 

Daryl: Kerri, the number is 1-888-411-7578 and you can text or call us at that number and we’ll, we’ll do our very best to help you out

 

Kerri: Thanks very much everyone and we will talk to you next time

 

Daryl: Thanks, and take care, everyone

 

[Outro music]
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Hep C 101 is a project of the BC Hepatitis Network. Content is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for speaking with your healthcare provider.

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