PESHAWAR: Focusing its attention on four high-risk districts, the health department will launch a single-pill three-month regime to treat hepatitis C within a month.

The government has already planned to eliminate hepatitis C from the province within three years.

“A study has shown that Dir, Hangu, Swat and Mardan have more hepatitis B and C cases than other districts with the incidence of hepatitis C being seven per cent and hepatitis B’s four per cent and therefore, we have decided to concentrate on these districts,” head of KP Hepatitis Control Programme Dr Kalimullah Khan told Dawn.

Dr Kalimullah said the programme had completed the process of purchasing new oral drug to be consumed by patients for three months.

“We are starting the new drug regime next month,” he said.

Official says 15,000 patients registered for initiative

He said the new tablet, Velpatasvir, was a combination of two drugs and was approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, while the programme’s representatives had held meetings with gastroenterologists on the introduction of the drug.

In Jan 2017, KP became the first province in the country to start the issuance of the Sofosbuvir oral tablets.

The patients received six-month treatment replacing the Interferon injections, which were administered for six months.

In April, the health department began a three-month medication under which hepatitis C patients got Daclatasavir in combination with Sofosbuvir tablet.

“Now, we have finalised the procurement procedure. There will be no halt to free treatment as we have done rate contracting. We will purchase the drug anytime we need,” he said.

Dr Kalimullah said a shortage of medicines was seen in the past to the misery of patients as it took longer to float new tenders for buying medicines.

He however said fresh tenders were no more needed and that patients would continue receiving uninterrupted treatment.

“We have devised strategy to eliminate hepatitis C within next three years. B type of the viral ailment has no treatment as of now. As research is in progress, we will be able to offer treatment for it, too, by 2020,” he said.

The official said the programme had registered 15,000 patients, who would be give single-pill treatment for three months.

He said the government had allowed five firms to import the pills which would be used by patients for three months.

“The pill consists of two drugs and will be easy for the patients to use,” he said.

Dr Kalimullah said the new drug had 100 per cent efficacy rate as it was effective in chronic hepatitis C infection genotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

He said even the results of six-month treatment programme were excellent as we have only three positive cases in total of 384 patients.

“The rest of 381 patients have been treated successfully,” he said.

The official said the latest treatment programme also aimed to provide relief to the people who need liver transplant because it was effective in curing liver cirrhosis.

He said the patients with damaged liver were required under transplant the cost of which Rs7 million.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2018