Therapy in Dublin hospital clears patients of hepatitis C
Around 80 people with the condition were admitted to an early access programme at St James’ Hospital, Dublin, in December.
The therapy programme is being managed by the Irish Hepatitis C Outcomes and Research Network, based at St James’s Hospital and treatment has been provided across the seven specialist centres in Ireland.
Only urgent cases were chosen for the treatment — people who had not responded to previously licensed drug treatments.
Now, 95% of the patients on the programme have been found to have no evidence of the virus in their blood.
One of the patients, Peter Buckley, was diagnosed with hepatitis C three years ago. He subsequently developed liver disease and was critically ill when he began the programme.
“I was diagnosed to have a liver transplant, that’s the way it works it was so bad,” said Mr Buckley.
Now that the treatment is working for him, Mr Buckley said it has completely turned his life around.
Suzanne Norris, professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at Trinity College Dublin and St James’ Hospital was involved in the programme.
“The majority of patients have no evidence of hepatitis C in their blood at this point in time,” said Dr Norris. “This is truly a significant result.”
The patients will remain under observation for the next 12 to 24 weeks to determine the durability of their response to the treatment.
The cost for the 12-course treatment is between €45,000 and €55,000.
The combination of drugs was made available following negotiations between the Health Service Executive, the Department of Health, and four drug companies.
The Department of Health has set up an advisory group that will make recommendations about extending access to the new treatment to more patients.
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