Harvoni Takes the Sting Out of Hepatitis C Treatment

For the first time, hepatitis C can be cured without interferon and ribavirin, which can cause fatigue and depression.

Finally, there’s a medication to cure hepatitis C that doesn’t require use of the dreaded drugs interferon or ribavirin.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this month approved Harvoni, a once-daily tablet manufactured by Gilead Sciences. Harvoni is a combination medication that includes sofosbuvir (Sovaldi), another Gilead breakthrough treatment approved late last year, and ledipasvir, which is also made by Gilead.

The new medication costs $95,000 for a 12-week course of treatment. On the surface it appears even more expensive than Sovaldi, which costs $84,000 for a 12-week supply. Both medications have been proven to cure hepatitis C in a majority of people with genotype 1 hepatitis C within that time frame.

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