We have grown up in India with the knowledge of a virus borne disease called Hepatitis B, against which people were vaccinated beforehand. But with time, new viruses are emerging and Hepatitis C is among one of them, which has brought the scientists together to find effective cures for it.
Hepatitis C is a blood borne infection caused by HCV virus and directly affects the liver leading to its damage, liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death. It does not show symptoms in the beginning and shows its presence gradually.
Previously for the cure of Hepatitis C, the drugs that were used had side effects. Therefore, scientists have come up with two very effective drugs for the cure of the C virus- Harvoni and Sovaldi. These have fewer side effects and are highly effective for the treatment.
Harvoni
Harvoni is made by juxtaposing Sofosbuvir and ledipasvir and requires the patient to just pop up one pill each day. It enhances speedy recovery and have created a record of curing 90 percent of the patients affected with Hepatitis C Type 1 completely. But the problem with the drugs is that it is quite expensive. Harvoni costs around 1, 125$ per pill for a course treatment of 12 weeks. But, if you are in India, it can be made available at much cheaper price.
Sovaldi
Before the invention of the two mentioned drugs, treatment lasted for 24 to 48 weeks. But with the coming of Sovaldi in December 2013, Hepatitis C can be cured in a span of 12 weeks. People affected with Hepatitis C of genotype 2 and 3 are now treated with a combination of Sovaldi with ribavirin to avoid any side effects.
Here are the differences between the two drugs to understand its uses and characteristics properly.
- Harvoni is mainly used to cure Hepatitis C of the genotypes 1,4,5 and 6. On the other hand, sovaldi is used to cure the genotypes 1,2,3,and 4.
- The dosage of Harvoni is 90 mg of ledipasvir and 400 mg of sofosbuvir. For sovaldi, it is 400 mg sofosbuvir.
- Harvoni needs to be stored in room temperature below 30 degree celsius. In the case of Sovaldi, it is stored in the original container in which it comes.
- Length of the treatment also varies. Depending on the seriousness of the infection, Harvoni treatment can continue for 12 to 24 weeks. In case of Sovaldi, it depends on the genotype and can continue for 12 to 24 weeks.
Treatment for Hepatitis C have become easy in India, after ventures were taken up to come together with China for a better treatment. If you are located outside India, you do not need to stay here for the whole period of the treatment. For the first few days you need to be physically present, then you can get the expert treatment siting in the comfort of your home. There are services which offers to help you tour across the globe for a better treatment, with guidance throughout the whole journey by escorts.
If you are suffering yourself or you know of anyone who is affected by Hepatitis C virus, get in touch with the service and get a good quality treatment done for a speedy recovery.