FDA Requires New Labels on Popular Hepatitis C Treatment

Posted on April 26, 2012

A label change being issued by the Food and Drug Administration could hurt sales of a widely used Hepatitis C treatment.

The drug whose label will need to be changed is called Victrelis, which the FDA approved last May.  It is produced by Merck & Company.  New findings have shown that Victrelis could prevent various human immunodeficiency virus medicines from working properly if the two are taken in conjunction with each other.  The new label will state this potential danger.

Hepatitis C can over time cause liver failure or some other liver disease, and Victrelis is meant to prevent that. And HIV drugs block a blood enzyme known as protease, which the HIV virus needs to replicate.  But during a drug interaction study in February, researchers determined that the levels of HIV-treating drugs dropped when the user was taking Victrelis at the same time.  This puts the user at risk.

Many are saying that this could hurt the sales of Victrelis.  The reason is because so many people who have Hepatitis also have HIV.  In fact, some estimate that sales of the drug could be reduced by as much as 25%.

I’m sorry to see these dangers as a personal injury attorney in Ventura.  When a new drug hits the market that could potentially save lives, one hopes that there won’t be any complications with that drug.  I’m optimistic that researchers can work it out, and as a Long Beach personal injury lawyer, I hope that persons affected with these viruses can get the treatment they need.

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