Magdy Gabr, head of the liver viruses unit at Mansoura Public Hospital, has revealed recovery of two patients after undergoing a four-month treatment of Sovaldi and Ribavirin, which cures the hepatitis C virus.
The tests results for the two patients came back negative after taking one capsule of Sovaldi and six capsules of Ribavirin daily for four weeks, he said.
Gabr added that one of the patients, Ali Fawzy Abdel Ghaffar, 45, registered himself on the website of the Egyptian National Committee on Viral Hepatitis. He started the medicine on 16 October. Hepatic function and his general condition were improved. His PCR test came negative.
Abdel Ghaffar said he will undergo another test after 12 weeks, another after 36 weeks and third one after 72 weeks. If all results were negative, he will be declared recovered.
“I lost hope to recover after getting infected. I became desperate. I was not able to work enough to afford by house and treatment. After the new treatment was announced, I was skeptic about seriousness of Health Ministry if it will provide the patients with it. However, I registered myself on the website. I was selected for treatment. I had hope that I could become a normal person. The doctors encouraged me and said if I was regular on the treatment, there would be big chance that I recover,” he said.
Abdel Ghaffar expressed hope that government will provide all the hep C virus patients with that cure.
The committee started in October distributing the US-produced medicine Sovaldi among patients, after selecting those of the worst conditions who suffer liver fibrosis.
Egypt received 50,000 out of a total of 225,000 doses, expected to be delivered by end of the year.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
