Today, almost three hundred million people in the world are infected with the hepatitis C virus. However, a vaccine against this dangerous disease has not yet been developed.
Features of the disease
A terrible virus infects the cells of an important organ for human life - the liver. Hepatitis C then creates a copy of itself that travels outside the affected cell to spread the disease.
To date, several ways of contracting viral hepatitis have been identified:
- with blood transfusion;
- when tattooing, acupuncture and other procedures using non-sterile needles;
- when using one needle by drug addicts;
- sexually;
- from mother to child during pregnancy.
Features of treatment
Many doctors compare hepatitis C with HIV. Get cured of this deadly disease nowimpossible. However, there are certain types of drugs that are designed to prevent the spread of the virus.
In such treatment, two drugs are usually used: Interferon Alpha and Ribavirin. The first prevents the spread of the virus into he althy cells, the second is aimed at counteracting its reproduction. However, this treatment regimen has a huge number of side effects and low efficiency.
Therefore, scientists continue to develop new drugs that help fight hepatitis C. One of the latest achievements of innovative medicine is the drug Sofosbuvir. Instructions for use contains all the necessary information about it.
Medication description
The drug is available in the form of round-shaped tablets, the surface of which is coated, soluble only in gastric juice. This information is contained in the instruction attached to the drug "Sofosbuvir". The composition of the drug includes a unique substance that has the same name as the drug, as well as excipients.
The required dosage of the drug is 400 mg and is included in one tablet. The package contains 28 pills, which is enough for a course of treatment for a month.
Effect on the body
The effect on the body is described by the instructions for use available for the drug "Sofosbuvir". The mechanism of action, in simple terms, is that the main substance of the drug is a modernhepatitis C enzyme inhibitor. It has a complex effect on the body affected by the virus. Clinical trials have shown that even in an organism greatly weakened by a disease under the influence of a drug, a steady positive trend is observed. This is true for hepatitis 1-4 genotypes.
However, with simultaneous infection with hepatitis C and HIV infection, many doctors do not consider the use of this drug appropriate. The fact is that in this case its effectiveness has not been proven. It is important to understand that, despite the detailed instructions that the instructions for use contain for the Sofosbuvir preparation, the manufacturer warns against self-medication. Intensive therapy against the chronic form of viral hepatitis C can only be prescribed by an experienced doctor. The course of treatment is carried out under the supervision of professionals.
Using medicine
Most doctors believe that the drug "Sofosbuvir" should be taken exclusively in combination with other medicines. For this, the following schemes are traditionally used, which depend on the genotype of the disease:
- With genotypes 3-6 types, the drug "Sofosbuvir" is prescribed with the drugs "Ribavirin" and "Interferon Alfa". The course of therapy in this case should exceed 3 months.
- In case of infection with hepatitis 1, as well as if it is impossible to use such a medication as "Interferon Alfa" (if there are contraindications or individualintolerance). In this case, the course is extended twice.
- With genotype 2, a combination scheme of the drug "Sofosbuvir" with the drug "Ribavirin" is used for 3 months.
- If the patient is waiting for a liver transplant, it is recommended to use Ribavirin and Sofosbuvir at the same time. The instructions for use recommend extending treatment until transplantation.
If side effects associated with taking one of the combination therapy drugs occur, the therapy should be discontinued. Data on the effectiveness of treatment in persons who have not reached the age of majority are not available in world practice.
The drug "Sofosbuvir" is taken 1 time per day in the dose prescribed by the doctor. There are rules to follow when doing this:
- Do not chew or split tablets as they taste very bitter. The medication is taken with meals.
- If vomiting occurs within two hours of taking the medication, an additional dose should be taken.
- When skipping medication, if the delay is less than 18 hours, take the missed pill. If more time has passed, take the next dose at the set time.
Special Instructions
All sorts of additional information that is important to know when taking the medication contains the instructions attached to the drug "Sofosbuvir". Indications for the use of this medication as part of complex therapy largely determine side effects.
When treating with the drug, you should know the following:
- concentration and reaction speed decrease, so you should stop driving a car and some activities;
- pregnancy is undesirable, so reliable methods of contraception should be provided.
Side effects
To date, not all side effects of the drug "Sofosbuvir" have been identified. Instructions for use contain data that they depend on the combination of the drug with other medicines.
In the case of combining the drug with the drug "Ribavirin" observed:
- more than 10% of cases - a decrease in hemoglobin and an increase in bilirubin in the blood, nausea, fatigue, sleep disturbances, headache, nervousness;
- in 1% of cases - inflammation of the nasal and pharyngeal mucosa, decreased iron levels in the blood, depression, cough, concentration disorder, problems with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, hair loss, itching, convulsions, fever.
With the additional introduction of the drug "Interferon Alpha" into the regimen, there is a risk that there will be:
- anemia, insomnia, dizziness, decrease in the number of neutrophils, platelets and lymphocytes and increased bilirubin in the blood, rash,itching, chills, diarrhea, vomiting, fever;
- weight loss, depressive and panic conditions, migraine, constipation, shortness of breath, pain and other effects.
In more detail, all side effects are described in the instructions for use attached to the drug "Sofosbuvir".
Analogues
There are a number of analogues of the drug "Sofosbuvir". They can be divided into 2 groups. Analogues for the active substance are: Viropak, Gratesiano, Hepsinat, Hopetavir. The list of medicines that have a therapeutic effect similar to Sofosbuvir is much wider. To name just a few of them: Algeron, Ledipasvir, Neovir, Cycloferon and many others.
However, there are a number of advantages of Sofosbuvir over its analogues:
- possibility of treatment of various hepatitis C genotypes;
- high efficiency;
- short course of treatment compared to many other drugs;
- good portability;
- does not affect the patient's quality of life.
Cost
Modern medicine knows not so many effective drugs that successfully help fight viral hepatitis C, which has passed into the chronic stage. For adult patients, the German medicine "Sofosbuvir" is suitable. The instructions for use allow you to compare it with other similar medicines.
Due to the fact that this drug shows a fairly high efficiency, hasclear advantages over analogues, its cost is unusually high. One course will cost the patient about several thousand dollars. That is why it is almost impossible to get Sofosbuvir medicine in pharmacies.
Today, this is the most perfect and safe drug that is used to treat viral hepatitis C. This information is confirmed by the instruction attached to the drug "Sofosbuvir". Analogues, according to doctors, do not allow to achieve the same significant results.
It is thanks to this that the drug is recognized by a huge number of doctors around the world. They are confident that today there is simply no more effective medication that can significantly ease the life of seriously ill patients.
