Posted: 23-Aug-2006 << BACK
Thousands more people with hepatitis C will benefit from the latest NICE guidance on drug treatments. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today issued guidance recommending interferon/ribavirin for the treatment of people with mild chronic hepatitis C within the NHS.
Recent estimates suggest that approximately 200,000 to 500,000 people are infected with hepatitis C in England and Wales although only around 47,000 people have been diagnosed and only around 7000 treated. Current practice in most centres is to treat only those patients with moderate or severe symptoms. Todays guidance however states that:
People with mild chronic hepatitis should also be offered combination therapy with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin within the licensed indications of these drugs.
People with mild chronic hepatitis who are unable to tolerate ribavirin, or for whom ribavirin is contraindicated, should be offered peginterferon alfa monotherapy.
The decision as to whether a person with mild chronic hepatitis C should be treated immediately or should wait until the disease has reached a moderate stage (watchful waiting) should be made by the patient after fully informed consultation with the responsible clinician.
There is insufficient evidence to recommend combination therapy or monotherapy with peginterferon alfa for people with mild chronic hepatitis C who are under the age of 18 years, or those who have had a liver transplant.
you can download the complete press release below
Attachment: New NICE treatment guidance for moderate disease.pdf
