22nd Aug 2011, 10:31 am by Brad Lemaire

Drug maker Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) said Monday Health Canada has approved Incivek tablets for patients with chronic hepatitis C.

The drug, also known as telaprevir, is approved for use in combination with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin, two standard treatments used for Hep-C. Specifically, the drug can be used in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C, with compensated liver disease, meaning there is some damage to the liver, but the liver still functions.

About 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected with Hep-C, including some 250,000 Canadians. the serious liver disease can lead to liver damage, scarring, failure, or liver cancer.

The approval was based on three phase 3 studies of the drug of mroe than 2,500 people with hepatitis C. the results showed that people who took Incivek in combination with the other treatments achieved significantly higher rates of viral cure, compared to those that were treated with standard therapy alone.

The drug is indicated for people that are new to treatment, or did not respond to prior therapy.

“Health Canada’s rapid approval of Incivek underscores the urgent need for new medicines to treat hepatitis C,” said senior vice president and chief medical officer of Vertex, Robert Kauffman.

The company said that until recently, about 40% of people who underwent a year of treatment for Hep-C were cured.

“Incivek’s ability to nearly double that rate of cure and cut treatment time in half for the majority of patients being treated for the first time marks a turning point in the fight against this disease.”

Patients can live with the Hep C virus for many years without detecting any symptoms, leading for calls by some for increased hepatitis testing.

In 2010, the annual cost of hep-C due to medical treatment and lost productivity in Canada was estimated at $1 billion.

Vertex develops and commercializes small molecule drugs for the treatment of diseases. it is engaged in phase-one clinical trials for a host of drug candidates, which include drugs for the treatment for cystic fibrosis and influenza.

Other people asked questions on various topics, and are stillwaiting for answer. Would be great if you can take a sec andanswer them

can you catch Hepatitis C from saliva?I have a very touchy situation. My mom has hep c. She keeps feeding our 9 month old child from herspoon ice cream etc. we have a shaky relationship anyway so I don’t want to make a problem but this scares me even though chances of him getting it are small. help!!

WilliamGHep C is usually transmitted through sexual contact.

EricTheoretically yabut I’m not sure on the chances

NamaleI understand that you don’t want to create problems with your Mum, but the health of your child must come first. I think you need to talk to her about your concerns.Hepatitis C is normally transmitted via blood. but there is some new evidence to suggest that it is possible that saliva contact could be a risk (see the second link below) and people with Hep C are advised not to share toothbrushes. It is also worth taking into account that a lot of us suffer from bleeding gums.Don’t ignore your feelings. your child is probably picking up on your fears and this needs dealing with.I wish you all the best with this.

PeterHep a, B, Non a, Non B, C, Etc… There are many.

One simple rule I used to learn these a long time ago was that:

Hep a – was transmitted via a fecal oral route. so I called it ASS.

Hep B – was transmitted via Blood and body fluids. so I called it Blood.

Hep C – could be transmitted more than one way and so I called it could.

Now, there is a small book and an even bigger place called the World Health Organization. The WHO which is a big entity that produces results from testing and also recommends what immunizations we should get and at what age and so on. as a healthcare professional I had to be immunized against Hep a and B and C and whatever else they added to it. then I got a blood test to see if the immunizations worked. so my blood said it was ready to fight off the disease if introduced but not that I was positive for it.

OK, now for one thing, there is a book called control of communicable disease in man. Published by guess who? That is right the WHO. so, the information is readily available in most hospital libraries and in general libraries. but, You will also be able to look up the signs, symptoms and modes of contagion through these sources online. I am 100% certain you will be able to edify yourself with the FACTS of how Hep C is transmitted. The route that you described is called fomite. Fomite is any inanimate object like a screwdriver or a doorknob or a spoon. usually the transmission of Hep is by direct contact.

For a, a food handler does not wash hands after using the bathroom, then goes and washes lettuce and puts it out on the salad bar. then they go through all the other ingredients and refresh the salad bar. The contaminants from his unwashed hands, fester on the uncooked food items, then we ingest them. there you have it.

For B, sexual intercourse without protection and the exchange of bodily fluids. Blood transfusion, IV drug abuse, etc.

For C, well you should go read about it. You probably already know what it is.

Now, another consideration. if your Mom had Hep C for a long time, like even before having you, you could have it as well. but I understand about the whole situation. I think if it were my baby, I would say, “please do not feed my baby with your utensils” and leave it at that. if a discussion about it comes up, Know you are protecting the health of your baby and calmly say that you are very concerned about the possible transmission of hepatitis to your child. if that does not take care of it, then I say to you, make a decision and stick with it. if your Mom does not like what you had to say, at least you can be sure that you said without being disrespectful and that you are merely protecting your child from an uncertainty.

Besides that, The data you need to be sure of is, whether or not there is any other form of Hep or contagious disease process at hand. if you find out that it is only Hep C than you can look it up and see what the mode of transmission is. if the saliva is a risky behavior or not.

Now when I learned about HIV, I found out that it could be transmitted through saliva. I was really concerned by that and then when I studied communicable diseases and became an HIV/Aids educator, I learned that the amount of saliva it would take to transmit it was like a gallon. That is something to be taken with a grain of salt so try not to use that as a fact of reference or anything.

I hope that I have helped you at least one little bit. It is way late and I have typos here but I think if you get yourself educated with the facts on Hep C you will be in better shape to make a decision.

One other place that you can go and get free info, the public health department. There is literature and you could probably ask someone some questions too. I know that they have people that do education for the public in those places.

Your healthcare provider or the nurse should be able to answer some questions over the phone too.

LINDA RHep C is NOT transmitted through saliva. Hep C can be transmitted through blood, such as sharing needles for drug use. because Hep C survives outside the body for up to 4 days, and people can cut themselves while shaving, or have bleeding gums while brushing teeth, Hep C can also be transmitted through sharing razors or toothbrushes. Hep C can also be transmitted through sharing tattoo needles, tattoo ink, or piercings, for the same reasons.

Hep C can be transmitted through sex, but sexual transmission of Hep C is rare.

What do you think? answer below! Explains the prevention, causes, symptoms, modes of transmission, and treatment of hepatitis C.

Share and Enjoy:

• can you catch Hepatitis C from saliva?
• Reduction of Insulin Resistance With Effective Clearance of Hepatitis C Infection: Results From…
• Can Hepatitis B transmitted from one person to another through food?
• How long after recovering from acute Hepatitis B can I drink alcohol again?

Like what are symptoms and how often do they occur and effect your daily like?

If you don't go to the doctor and have drug, you may die from Hep c.

Maybe you can ask this question at the STD social and dating site called pozcupid .com. they are professional.

I will copy this from my Dr. Symptoms- develop in only 25-35 percent of the patients who acquire acute Hepatitis C and are often very nonspecific. therefore, the disease is on ly rarely diagnosed at this phase. Seventy five to 85 percent of patients infected with acute Hepatitis C will develop a persistent infection called Cronic Hep. C.
Some patients may be discovered to have Hep. C when they are found to have abnormalities of routine liver lad tests. Cronic Hep C is referred to as a silent epidemic as many times those affected are asymptomatic or may present with very non specific symptoms such as Fatigue. I hope I helped some.

yes but the damage is going to still occur

Yes, as chronic carriers.

yes, my father has had untreated hep c for 20 years.