Response-Guided Therapy Now a Reality for Some Hepatitis C Patients

The treatment is based on the Roche (Basel, Switzerland) Pegasys system, which comprises peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD) plus Copegus (ribavirin).

Response-guided therapy has been made practical through the use of Roche's highly sensitive, real-time PCR diagnostic tests, which accurately measure the levels of virus in the patient's blood. The automated COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HCV Test is the newest and most advanced Roche product for measuring hepatitis C virus levels.
"Response-guided therapy in hepatitis C is an excellent example of how Roche is uniquely positioned to individualize healthcare and deliver real benefit to patients, physicians, and healthcare payers by combining the power of innovative pharmaceuticals and diagnostics,” said William M. Burns, CEO, of Roche's pharmaceuticals division. "This approval for 16 weeks of treatment in genotype 2 and 3 patients with a rapid response demonstrates the value of using diagnostic tools to determine an individual treatment regimen and hopefully will encourage more eligible patients to come forward for treatment.”


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