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Undetected at 12 wk EOT!
I had my bloods drawn yesterday for my 12 week EOT test after sofosbuvir/simeprevir/ribavirin. I am lucky to continue to be undetected!! Of course I'm very pleased with these results, and will next follow up with the test in another 12 weeks to make it official at 24. I hope many more here have good test results, too!!
Mark
Mark
I don't know if I'm misunderstanding something, or am I incorrect in the data that I've read. Mark and I have both completed treatment and have had our EOT12 results which were UND. Isn't that considered cured?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
...Kim..
Thanks in advance for your reply.
...Kim..
Hi Mark.
I am not saying this about only your treatment but their have been countless posts about people being undetectable at one point or another during treatment and themselves and others encouraging the mistaken notion that being undetectable has some meaning as far as treatment outcome (SVR)....
While it is great to be undetectable and have not viral load for maybe the first time in 40 years (YES!)
Being undetectable unfortunately has NO correlation to outcome (SRV) with current Sovaldi based treatments and the mentions of it as though it indicated successful treatment gives people a false impression that being undetectable is an achievement relating to treatment success (SVR) as it did with old peg-interferon based treatments.
Sadly, now we are starting to see folks who felt encourage by being undetectable throughout their treatment and who have now ended their treatment and are experiencing relapse after stopping treatment. Usually within a month after stopping the treatment. Many of them seem devastated after believing that their being undetectable meant they had a very high likelihood of success. Which is not the cause.
Failing treatment is and has always been difficult no matter if we treated for 12, 24, 48 or longer. We invested a lot of time, hope and energy into our treatments. Many times having to deal with side effect during our treatments which we endured as part of the price we paid for being cured.
We rightly are optimistic during treatment and hope that this time we will finally be cured of this virus after many decades of infection and sometimes many failed treatments.
We all know logically that these treatments are not 100% and depending on different factors such as cirrhosis that at least 1 or 2 out of 10 are going to fail current treatments. Yet it is so sad for those who are now starting to fail these treatments. We are starting to see people truly devastated by the virus returning. I feel sad for those who now may feel so alone being the minority of those who treated and unfortunately weren't successful.
It seems the big picture is getting lost.
Treatment is more effective than it ever has been and will continue to improve in the near future with more options for all patients.The vast majority of folks (those without cirrhosis) fortunately can wait for more effective treatments that will be available at the end of this year or soon there after.
Treatment failure is not a personal failure and absolutely NOT the end of the story by any means. As in the past, if we fail a treatment then we mourn the lost and disappointment and then in our own time... move on to renewed hope that a newer/better treatment option will cure us once and for all time of this virus.
So to repeat the basic facts as published in all of the clinical studies about these current, 1st generation of Sovaldi treatments...
Please understand that once a person becomes undetectable on Sovaldi based treatment they ALWAYS stay undetectable as long as they continue the treatment and will be undetectable when they stop treatment. Whether it is week 12 or 24 or any other time. This is what happens to ALL people and is how these treatments work. These new treatments are different than peg-interferon based treatments in how they work and how people respond. As different as we normally only treat now for 12 weeks instead of 24 or 48 weeks and ""EVR", null-responders, partial responders, breakthrough meant something. They are as obsolete as the weekly injections are for those treating with all oral meds.
All people that fail Sovaldi based treatments only fail treatment by "relapsing" AFTER the stop the treatment. Most people relapse within 4 weeks after stopping treatment. Others between 4-8 weeks after treatment and a very few relapse between weeks 8-12. The is why we use SVR12 and the point of cure. Make it past week 12 after stopping treatment and you are cured.
Understanding these basic facts will prevent folks from having false assumptions about the ability to achieve SVR which with current treatment not based on response to treatment (undetectable), as all people become undetectable during treatment but upon a person's host factors (F0-F2 vs F3 or F4, genotype, etc.). We are starting to see folks unfortunately failing treatment (relapse) and seemed to have been under the impression that being undetectable during treatment, whether by week 4 or at some other time assured treatment success, which sadly they falsely believed to be the case.
We know the following about the new Sovaldi based treatments:
* All people that treat become undetectable and stay undetectable as long as they are treating.
* I.E. There is no viral "breakthrough" during treatment as could happen with peg- interferon + ribavirin treatment.
* When taking Sovaldi + Olysio particularly, when a person becomes undetectable makes NO DIFFERENCE as far as the chances of SVR. In fact those that are not undetectable by week 4 (most of the people in the COSMOS trials were NOT undetectable by week 4) have a greater chance of SVR than those who do become undetectable by week 4.
Best of luck with your treatment!
Hector
I am not saying this about only your treatment but their have been countless posts about people being undetectable at one point or another during treatment and themselves and others encouraging the mistaken notion that being undetectable has some meaning as far as treatment outcome (SVR)....
While it is great to be undetectable and have not viral load for maybe the first time in 40 years (YES!)
Being undetectable unfortunately has NO correlation to outcome (SRV) with current Sovaldi based treatments and the mentions of it as though it indicated successful treatment gives people a false impression that being undetectable is an achievement relating to treatment success (SVR) as it did with old peg-interferon based treatments.
Sadly, now we are starting to see folks who felt encourage by being undetectable throughout their treatment and who have now ended their treatment and are experiencing relapse after stopping treatment. Usually within a month after stopping the treatment. Many of them seem devastated after believing that their being undetectable meant they had a very high likelihood of success. Which is not the cause.
Failing treatment is and has always been difficult no matter if we treated for 12, 24, 48 or longer. We invested a lot of time, hope and energy into our treatments. Many times having to deal with side effect during our treatments which we endured as part of the price we paid for being cured.
We rightly are optimistic during treatment and hope that this time we will finally be cured of this virus after many decades of infection and sometimes many failed treatments.
We all know logically that these treatments are not 100% and depending on different factors such as cirrhosis that at least 1 or 2 out of 10 are going to fail current treatments. Yet it is so sad for those who are now starting to fail these treatments. We are starting to see people truly devastated by the virus returning. I feel sad for those who now may feel so alone being the minority of those who treated and unfortunately weren't successful.
It seems the big picture is getting lost.
Treatment is more effective than it ever has been and will continue to improve in the near future with more options for all patients.The vast majority of folks (those without cirrhosis) fortunately can wait for more effective treatments that will be available at the end of this year or soon there after.
Treatment failure is not a personal failure and absolutely NOT the end of the story by any means. As in the past, if we fail a treatment then we mourn the lost and disappointment and then in our own time... move on to renewed hope that a newer/better treatment option will cure us once and for all time of this virus.
So to repeat the basic facts as published in all of the clinical studies about these current, 1st generation of Sovaldi treatments...
Please understand that once a person becomes undetectable on Sovaldi based treatment they ALWAYS stay undetectable as long as they continue the treatment and will be undetectable when they stop treatment. Whether it is week 12 or 24 or any other time. This is what happens to ALL people and is how these treatments work. These new treatments are different than peg-interferon based treatments in how they work and how people respond. As different as we normally only treat now for 12 weeks instead of 24 or 48 weeks and ""EVR", null-responders, partial responders, breakthrough meant something. They are as obsolete as the weekly injections are for those treating with all oral meds.
All people that fail Sovaldi based treatments only fail treatment by "relapsing" AFTER the stop the treatment. Most people relapse within 4 weeks after stopping treatment. Others between 4-8 weeks after treatment and a very few relapse between weeks 8-12. The is why we use SVR12 and the point of cure. Make it past week 12 after stopping treatment and you are cured.
Understanding these basic facts will prevent folks from having false assumptions about the ability to achieve SVR which with current treatment not based on response to treatment (undetectable), as all people become undetectable during treatment but upon a person's host factors (F0-F2 vs F3 or F4, genotype, etc.). We are starting to see folks unfortunately failing treatment (relapse) and seemed to have been under the impression that being undetectable during treatment, whether by week 4 or at some other time assured treatment success, which sadly they falsely believed to be the case.
We know the following about the new Sovaldi based treatments:
* All people that treat become undetectable and stay undetectable as long as they are treating.
* I.E. There is no viral "breakthrough" during treatment as could happen with peg- interferon + ribavirin treatment.
* When taking Sovaldi + Olysio particularly, when a person becomes undetectable makes NO DIFFERENCE as far as the chances of SVR. In fact those that are not undetectable by week 4 (most of the people in the COSMOS trials were NOT undetectable by week 4) have a greater chance of SVR than those who do become undetectable by week 4.
Best of luck with your treatment!
Hector
Mark that's wonderful news, and imagine you are so relieved. I'm kinda in the same boat with Riba/Sovaldi. Was also UND at EOT12, but honestly not jumping up and down for joy just yet as these new meds are in my opinion to new to say for sure. Please keep us posted as your status hopefully remains unchanged. Again, congratulations to you and to all whom treated with or without reaching SVR. The future is bright, and will give a toast (sparkling juice) when everyone around our world, will no longer fall victim to this horrible disease.
Cheers
...Kim...
Cheers
...Kim...
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