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news.Roche's Pegasys and Copegus combination therapy has received FDA approval, making it the first and only hepatitis C treatment for patients coinfected with HIV.
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The approval of Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) in combination with Copegus (ribavirin, USP) for the treatment of hepatitis C in HIV patients was based on results from the largest study of its kind conducted to date. The results showed that 40% of the 860 patients treated had the levels of their virus become and stay undetectable for at least 24 weeks after finishing a course of treatment.
Hepatitis C and HIV are the two most prevalent blood-borne infections in the US and research has shown that hepatitis C is more resistant to treatment in people with HIV.
It is estimated that approximately 30% of Americans with HIV are believed to be infected with the hepatitis C virus. In the US, chronic hepatitis C affects approximately 2.7 million people and HIV affects almost one million.