I happened upon this thread again last night and wanted to urge all of you to continue helping us with our efforts to get Gilead back into collaboration with Bristol-Myers. Look back at how excited we all were when we heard the results released at EASL, 100% cure-rate for genotype 1, and more than 91% for genotype 2/3 (without interferon and ribavirin). And then much to the dismay of the HCV community, clinicians, doctors and researchers worldwide, Gilead Sciences announced shortly thereafter that they would not be going forward with Phase III trials. Gilead is seemingly intent on looking "in-house" and are forging ahead with a study of 7977 in combination with their own experimental NS5a inhibitor GS-5885. This chosen path could take years to bring to fruition and will likely require the addition of ribavirin and/or interferon.
In light of this development a patient advocacy group, the HCV Coalition for "The Cure" was formed for the sole purpose of "leveraging" Gilead back to work with Bristol to move the 7977 (now named sofosbuvir) + daclatasvir combination into Phase III trials with all possible dispatch.
We have launched a petition at Change.org and urge each and every one of you to sign it and then ask everyone you know to sign as well. We also urge you to contact news, TV, senators, congressmen, FDA, etc. regarding this urgent and dire matter. If this were the cure for cancer the world would be outraged, and we are confident they will be outraged by this as well. This is still the United States of America and we will not sit idly by and allow this. Some “naysayers” tell us we are wasting our time and cannot change the direction of a big pharma giant such as Gilead Sciences. To which we say, that it was a petition such as this that forced big banking giant Bank of America to back off $5.00 fees; and another petition targeting the USDA that was successful in having “pink slime” removed from our children’s lunches. Our lives and the lives of people we love are at stake here, so we must at least TRY.
Link to petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/gilead-sciences-please-collaborate-with-bristol-myers-for-the-cure-for-hepatitis-c-now
Look back at the comments posted by people who were actually in these trials and ask yourself the following question. Shouldn't we all have the opportunity to be cured of hepatitis C without the debilitating side effects that often accompany interferon and/or ribavirin??? So please join us in our efforts, first by signing the petition and then by asking every one you know to sign it as well.
Sincerely,
Margaret
HCV Coalition for "The Cure"
You can see more info about these efforts at the petition site.
I am awaiting news (should be any time now) for the 12 week study 7977 with 790052 in previous protease failures failures and nulls. Dosing started in April this year.
I expect some SVR 4 data may already have been collected!
Hi, I live in Christchurch, New Zealand.
I am on a PHASE 3 trial, Fusion-GS7977 400mg plus Fusion-Ribavirin 200mg for 16 weeks.
The last 4 weeks are 50/50 placebo/meds double blind, although the bottles already have the /placebo labelling, which I am informed are just so they don't have to reprint the labels, which sounds a bit cheap. I'm confident it's not a trick tho!
I have type 3a, have had 2 unsuccessful six month treatments of interferon/ribavirin,- 2nd was pegelated Interferon. I had VR at end of treatment but virus came back with a vengance.
I guess I'm fortunate to get on this, most trials are done for type 1 as that is mostly -I gather- what you North American people have.
I'm in week 2 and periodically feel I have the flu and very tired..and sometimes feel great! Very optimistic. People here talk about SVR 4/12 etc. I don't just want a brief respite from HCV effects (been there, done that), I want to be virus free for evermore!
My hospital specialist has invested in a fibroscan, so I didn't have to have a biopsy.
I haven't looked yet on this site for a GLOSSARY, I hope there is one as there's a lot of jargon, some of which I don't understand. Does anyone know what Fusion is? -I will ask on my hospital visit this week.
It's great to connect with you people who have gone through similar tough life challenges, and to read the optimism due to these new promising treatments. Thank you so much scientists!
They should be having a conference call on the 26th. I'm hoping and praying we'll hear good news about their upcoming trials with their own NS5a.
That is the kind of news I like to hear...OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I am so happy for you. Come Gilead...please!!!!
Great news!
How many 1a and nulls are going to SVR?
How many are geno 2 and 3?
This is exciting stuff!