Telaprevir Trials 101

[Happyhungry]

Its funny how easily we can lose the plot on the Telaprevir trials.  Some recent posts on this Board, based on personal experience and offered purely to help, have been taken as threats or as conspiracy fantasy.  Observations on trial management and even actual results of earlier trials, are ignored or dismissed when they don

[Renee543]

I read your post and it came at a time when I am considering doing a trial with teleaprevir. I don't know anything about it either. Only what I have read. The trial is for two doses a day instead of every 8 hrs. It is in phase lll.
I have know I had hepc since 1995 and have gone the natural route and it has served me well until just lately. My platelets are low and numbers not so great either, so I know something is going on. The docs all want me to do txt, which scares the hell out of me. Sometimes I think it better to not have so much knowledge as to what to expect.
Anyway could you please tell me your experience with it. What would you do different? Is there really any way to prepare? Thanks, trying not to ask too many questions but I go see my Gastro this week and wld like to know what to ask. He wants me to just do the straight interferon with no new drugs...the Telaprevir is a trial getting ready to start at another place. I am trying to decide what to do...or if I even want to....so confused.

[viaduk]

Thank you!  As one who participated in the peg/riba trials, while most others who posted on the hep c boards were on the standard protocol, I would have appreciated  the insight, support and info posted here.  And, as a relapser who is closely monitoring the progress of this new trial, I am glad to have the access to others who are able to glean the info from the  data that is coming out.

Thanks again for your thoughtful post.

[Teufelhunden]

I have this mental picture of Henry Ford driving his new fangled machine through a dusty, tumbleweed strewn cowboy town and ol Roy sitting on his horse saying "it'll never replace you Trigger".  All our hopes and dreams are based on "new stuff" and, if those dealing with Hepatitis C now, and in the future, can benefit by pioneers like you, it'll be all worth it.  "Just imagine" are two words that fit hand in hand with what you're doing. "Just imagine... if there were a vaccine for Hepatitis C".  I thank all of you going through these trials for what your doing for us. God Bless and good luck!

[mremeet]

Thanks hungry, excellent post. Very well said, keep those great insights coming. Hope you and dointime are hangin' in there in the meantime.

[orleans]

BULLY, BULLY!!!!

[willows]

You have summed the whole experience, as I see it and read it, very well.  I have not had the chance to participate, but I can read the frustration in the posts of the VX folks, and you have answered that issue amazing well and very complete.  

The experience with teleprevir seems to be a bit like my first try with SOC, I did not have a source of information like this forum at that time and it was all very hit and miss, too many folks with power over me who did not always seem like they had MY best interest at heart.  Now, I look back and I can see that it is just the nature of the beast interferon...it does not have the same foundation as something like insulin or heart meds...we are still actually one big, human experiment, trying to refine the protocols for kicking virus booty.

And we will, with excellent posts like yours.  Thanks for being my voice today.

Willow

[travelwhim]

great post