New hepatitis C drug Ravidasvir approved in Malaysia
Hepatitis C is transmitted through the blood DR
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This is a historic breakthrough in a long medical fight against hepatitis C. Malaysia will use Ravidasvir to treat hepatitis C, a new drug that is inexpensive and is therefore more accessible for less fortunate countries.
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With our correspondent in Kuala Lumpur,
Gabrielle Maréchaux
It is an unprecedented hope for developing countries in their long battle against
hepatitis C
, responsible for around 300,000 deaths each year. A disease that has long been synonymous with fatality, recalls Dr Radzi, head of gastroenterology and hepatology in
Malaysia
. “
Twenty or thirty years ago, the diagnosis of hepatitis C was a death sentence and we saw our patients die in front of our eyes. Then when direct-acting antivirals appeared, in 2018, patients could be cured
”.
To cure yes, but not necessarily to pay for
the expensive treatment by injection
.
The result of collaboration between local authorities, an Egyptian laboratory and the NGO “Drugs Initiative against Neglected Diseases”, the new drug, Ravidasvir, could therefore be a game-changer.
"
In Malaysia we were stuck as a middle income country
: we could not have access to the licenses given to developing countries, but we could not pay the exorbitant treatments either
", explains the Malaysian director general of health, Dr Noor Hisham
But today of the more than 300 people who received Ravidasvir in clinical trials, 97% have been cured.
For Dr Radzi, this new drug also has other advantages:
“the treatment is very well tolerated, there are few side effects.
And it is curative
”.
While only 13% of sick people worldwide today have access to treatment, Ravidasvir could help the World Health Organization achieve its goal of treating 80% of people with hepatitis C by to 2030.
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