Hepatitis C
Note: The hepatitis C treatment landscape has been dramatically evolving throughout the decade. If you are living with hep C, keep in mind that some of the science in older articles included below may already be out of date, even if only a year has passed. In particular, this applies to recommended treatment regimens. Feel free to contact me with questions. But be sure to talk to your clinician about your health and your treatment options.
"Yes, Nonspecialists Can Treat People With Hepatitis C Very Effectively" (Hep magazine, August 2017) So why do insurers often still restrict approval for hep C drugs to those receiving treatment from specialists? 
"Who's Afraid of Adding Ribavirin to Hepatitis C Treatment?"
(Hep magazine, May 2017) The antiviral drug, which for some people can be a beneficial adjunct to the new crop of hep C medications, has gotten a bad rap. 
"Hepatitis C in Seattle: Reports From CROI"
(Hep magazine, Feb. 2017) Highlights from the hep C–related studies presented at the 2017 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle 
"The Liver Meeting 2016 Roundup" (Hep magazine, November 2016) A review of the major hepatitis C–related findings from the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). |
"Hep C Treatment Options for Those With Chronic Kidney Disease Are Looking Up" (Hep mag., July 2017)
A promising new treatment regimen that will address unmet needs for this population is poised for FDA approval. 
"EASL 2017 Roundup: Continued Progress in Fighting Liver Disease." (Hep magazine, May 2017) Highlights from research presented at the 52nd International Liver Congress in Amsterdam 
"Should People With Hepatitis C Be Extra Cautious With Supplements?" (Hep magazine, January 2017 Herbal and dietary supplements can sometimes cause liver injury, which may be particularly problematic for those with a hep C–damaged liver. 
"When Will We Have a Cure for Hepatitis B?" (Hep mag, Oct. 2016)
Now that hepatitis C is relatively easy to cure, researchers are racing to unpack the more complicated mysteries of hep B in hopes of achieving the same feat. |
"Considering Its Exorbitant Price, Is Hepatitis C Treatment A Good Value?" (Hep magazine, June 2017)
A recent economic analysis sheds light on whether averting hep C–driven severe liver disease through treatment is worth the expense. 
"The 2017 Hepatitis C Treatment Pipeline" (Hep mag., March 2017) The major players in the hep C pharmaceutical market are still reaching for improved treatments, with two key approvals expected this year. 
"Can Treating Injection Drug Users Help Eradicate Hepatitis C?" (Hep magazine, December 2016) Widespread treatment of hep C among this population would likely drive down transmission rates. But cost is a major barrier. 
"How Telemedicine Can Bridge the Gaps in Hepatitis C Care"
(Hep magazine, August 2016) A team of researchers is studying how online video conferencing can put a virtual doctor into methadone clinics to deliver hep C treatment. |
"How Will Gilead's Epclusa Change the Hep C Treatment Landscape?"
(Hep magazine, July 2016) The new once-daily, single-tablet, pangenotypic hepatitis C treatment has the potential to shake things up in the United States and abroad. |
"Treating Hepatitis C When You Have Cirrhosis"
(Hep magazine, June 2016) For those with advanced liver disease, treatment for hep C is more complex. But the new treatments offer considerable hope as well. |
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"The 2016 Hepatitis C Drug Approval Outlook." (Hep magazine, Jan. 2016)
Here's what's in store this year for new hepatitis C therapies, as well as approvals for new uses of existing treatments. |
"The Big Hepatitis C News Out of the CROI Medical Conference in Boston"
(Hep magazine, March 2016) A review of important hep C-related medical research presented at a recent medical conference. |
"Can You Get Away With an Even Shorter Hepatitis C Treatment?"
(Hep magazine, April 2016) Research suggests that some people are taking hep C therapy for longer periods than they actually need. |
"The 2016 Hepatitis C Treatment Re-search Pipeline."
(Hep magazine, Feb. 2016) 
“How Sure Is a Cure?” (Hep magazine, July 2015) Once you’ve officially rid yourself of hepatitis C, how certain can you be that the virus is gone for good?
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“Continuing Changes in the Hepatitis C Treatment Landscape.” (Hep mag-azine, Aug. 2015) The approvals of two new hep C drugs address unmet needs.
“The Uphill Climb Toward a Hepatitis C Vaccine.” (Hep magazine, June 2015) Will we ever have a vaccination for the virus?
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“Pushing His Luck.” (Hep magazine, spring 2015) Successful entrepreneur and family man Jack Berlin tells how he finally kicked hepatitis C in the butt.
“Hank Johnson Finds His Voice.” (Hep magazine, summer 2013) Cured of hep-atitis C, the congressman now fights for Americans with viral hepatitis.
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Link to the HIV/Hep C coinfection page:
Hepatitis C Archives:
- Hep magazine, Nov. 2015: "Fighting Fatigue."
- Hep magazine, Oct. 2015: "Preventing Liver Cancer Among People With Hepatitis C."
- Hep magazine, Sept. 2015: "Cures With Benefits." How does curing hepatitis C translate into benefits to health and well-being?
- Hep magazine, April 2015. “Is There Any Good Reason Left to Delay Hepatitis C Treatment?” Physicians increasingly argue that the best choice is to get rid of hepatitis C right away. But your insurance company may not agree. How risky is it to wait for treatment?
- Hep magazine, March 2015: “Hep C Dispatches From Major Conference on Viruses.”
- Hep magazine, Feb. 2015: “Hepatitis C Treatment Options for Genotypes 2 through 6.” New therapies have been approved for people with genotype 1 of hep C. What about everyone else?
- Hep magazine, Jan. 2015: “The 2015 Treatment Landscape for Genotype 1 of Hepatitis C.” Groundbreaking new hep C treatments have been approved for people with genotype 1 of the virus.
- Hep magazine, Dec. 2014: “2014 AASLD Liver Conference Round-Up.” The Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Boston included a trove of good news for people with hep C.
- Hep magazine, Oct. 2014: “FDA Approves Gilead’s Hep C Drug Harvoni.” The first once-daily fixed-dose combination therapy to treat hep C has hit the scene, with neither interferon nor ribavirin in tow.
- Hep magazine, Sept. 2014: “What Kind of Doctor Should You See For Hepatitis C Treatment?” Clinicians in just a few specialties have experience treating hep C, although in the future even general practitioners may treat the virus as well—that is, if insurers don’t clamp down too hard on what kinds of providers may receive reimbursement.
- Hep magazine, Aug. 2014: “Short Selling Hep C Treatment.” The required treatment length to achieve a cure for hepatitis C has recently shortened dramatically—and may continue to taper in the coming years.
- Hep magazine, July 2014: “Do Interferon-Free Hep C Treatments Have Side Effects?” With interferon quickly becoming a thing of the past, what kind of side effects still remain in the new hepatitis C regimens—and how do you remedy them
- Hep magazine, June 2014: “Why Hepatitis C Tests May Give False Results.” While generally accurate, the standard hepatitis C test is still subject to false negatives and false positives.
- Hep magazine, May 2014: “Pipeline Report: Hep C to Meet Its Maker.” By year’s end, a new crop of interferon-free hep C combination therapies will likely hit the market, more or less signing the virus’s death warrant. But at what financial cost?
- POZ, March 2014: “Obamacare: Not So Affordable for People With HIV and Hep C.” Getting Obamacare passed and up and running was just the first round in the struggle to bring universal health care to people with HIV and hep C.
- Hep magazine, April 2014: “CROI Roundup: News From the Front.” Researchers presented findings from clinical trials of both investigational and approved hep C therapies at the 2014 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.
- Hep magazine, March 2014: “Coinfected With HIV and Hep C? Time To Party Like It’s 1996.” As hepatitis C treatment undergoes a revolution akin to the introduction of HIV antiretrovirals, the doors are swinging wide open for people coinfected with HIV to be cured of hep C.
- Hep magazine, Feb. 2014: “Fighting For Global Access to Hepatitis C Therapies.” Battle lines are drawn as the global health community prepares to face off with Big Pharma over the astronomic cost of treatment.
- Hep magazine, Jan. 2014: “Don’t Take Hepatitis C Lying Down, Make Healthy Choices.” How getting up and taking control of your diet, alcohol consumption and exercise can translate into a healthier liver.
- Hep magazine, Dec. 2013: “The Hepatitis C Blockbuster Season Has Begun.” With the FDA approval of Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and Olysio (simeprevir), many people with hepatitis C, including those coinfected with HIV, will likely line up for long-stalled treatment. Sovaldi in particular has the potential to reap billions in sales.
- Hep magazine, Nov. 2013: “Dispatches From the Front: Hep C To Waive the White Flag.” A recent liver conference made it more clear than ever that the means to blow hepatitis C off the map is just within reach.
- Hep magazine, Oct. 2013: “The Pipeline: Waiting on the Promise of an Interferon-free Future.” New hep C drugs are likely hitting the market in the very near future. But how long until interferon can be sent packing?
- Hep magazine, September 2013: “Fatigue: Hep C’s Partner in Crime.” How people living with the virus can root out the causes of fatigue and find ways to cope.
- Hep magazine, summer 2013: “Hep C 101.”
- Hep magazine, July 2013: “Past the Finish Line: The Benefits of a Hepatitis C Cure.”
- Hep magazine, June 2013: “The FDA Makes Hepatitis C a Priority.” The FDA has sped up its development and review process for new hep C therapies.
- Hep magazine, May 2013: “Hep C’s Blockbuster Season.” Preparing for a great revolution in hepatitis C care, the major players in the treatment game are moving their drugs into position for a mad dash toward achieving blockbuster status.
- Hep magazine, April 2013: “The Hepatitis C Drug Pipeline Report: A Groundswell to Become a Sea Change.” At the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, researchers reveled in promising new data on forthcoming hepatitis C therapies. Shortly after, two pharmaceutical companies submitted their drugs to the FDA for approval.
- Hep magazine, March 2013: “Going Off-Label: Prescribing Hepatitis C Medications Outside of FDA Guidelines.” Balancing the complexities—and sometimes urgency—of hepatitis C treatment with the available research (or lack thereof) on safety, efficacy and drug-drug interactions is a delicate science for physicians treating patients who also have HIV, advanced liver disease or other major health challenges.
- Hep magazine, Feb. 2013: “Hepatitis C Treatment in the Real World: Hope Surrounded by Barriers.” With numerous obstacles preventing widespread treatment of the U.S. hepatitis C population, how can the health care system successfully make use of recent treatment advances?
- Hep magazine, Jan. 2013: “Portrait of a Virus: Crafty, Expertly Outsmarting the Liver.” Three new studies have identified ways that the hepatitis C virus enters and hijacks liver cells, manipulating them to serve its own aim: reproduction on a massive scale.
- Hep magazine, Dec. 2012: “You Say You Want a Revolution?” The hepatitis C pipeline: huge changes on the horizon.
- Hep magazine, Nov. 2012: “Hepatitis C Treatment May Dramatically Reduce Risk of Liver Cancer.” Even without cure, treatment shows significant benefit.
- Hep magazine, summer 2012: “Double Trouble.” A second virus, hep C, confronts people living with HIV.
- Hep magazine, summer 2012: “Time for Treatment?” The odds of curing hep C are now better than ever.
- Numedx, March 2003: "Hepatitis in the Public Arena."