Learn the basics of getting affordable, GILEAD approved, generic Hep C medicines from India via my Hep C Buyers’ Club
Written by Greg Jefferys. Hepatitis C Writer & Activist.
Hepatitis C Treatment
The treatment of Hepatitis C is a relatively simple process unless a person has other serious health issues as well as having Hepatitis C.
Using the new Hep C medications (such as Harvoni and Epclusa) most people with Hep C will be cured by taking the Hep C meds once a day for 84 days.
If someone has failed a previous Hep C treatment or has liver cirrhosis or has Hep C genotype 3 then a longer treatment time is generally recommended.
This page explains, in simple terms, the treatment options available for people with Hepatitis C, which of the new Hep C medications are most effective and what they cost. It also explains how to buy affordable Hepatitis C medications through my Hep C Buyers’ Club.
For specific information about Hep C treatment options click here to email me
Hepatitis C Diagnosis
The Hepatitis C Antibody Test
Most people discover that they might have Hepatitis C via a simple blood test called the Hepatitis C Antibody Test. This test gives a result within about 15 minutes and the result says either POSITIVE or NEGATIVE. Or it may say REACTIVE or NON-REACTIVE.
If your result is negative or non-reactive then you don’t have Hepatitis C and that’s the end of the story.
If your result is Positive or Reactive then there is about a 75% chance that you have a Hepatitis C infection.
To be certain of your Hep C infection status you would then need to have a Hepatitis C RNA test, sometimes called a Hep C Viral load test. If Hep C RNA is detected then you definitely have Hep C and will need to get treatment.
Hepatitis C Treatment Guidelines Using Direct Acting Antivirals (DAAs)
As of 2022, the four most popular Hepatitis C treatments are Epclusa (Sofosbuvir + Velpatasvir), Harvoni (Sofosbuvir + Ledipasvir), Mavyret (Glecaprevir + Pibrentasvir ) and the combination of Sovaldi + Daklinza (Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir). In some countries an early DAA called Zepatier is used, mainly because it is very cheap. Zepatier can be very useful if combined with Sofosbuvir in cases where a person has failed a previous treatment. Another early Hep C DAA combination was called the VPak, it is no longer used, because it was found to cause liver damage (VIEKIRA PAK® combining Ombitasvir, Paritaprevir, and Ritonavir tablets; Dasabuvir tablets). Zepatier is usually used in poor countries that are forced to buy cheap medication because they can not afford the better options such as the Sofosbuvir based treatments or Mavyret. So we can say that, globally, the treatment of Hepatitis C is dominated by the first four mentioned drug combinations. I will now describe these four Hep C treatment options.
The Viekira Pak was an earlier, less effective Hep C treatment made by AbbVie. It was discontinued when it was found to cause liver damage. AbbVie replaced the Vpak with Mavyret
Epclusa
Epclusa (Sofosbuvir 400 mg + Velpatasvir 100 mg) is a “pan-genotype” Hep C treatment and is an effective treatment for for all genotypes of Hep C including Hepatitis C genotype 3. In most cases, people with Hep C genotype 3 should consider doing at least 16 weeks of treatment with Epclusa to give the greatest chance of a cure.
Epclusa has been found to be the most effective treatment where the patient has liver cirrhosis or a high level of liver fibrosis
12 weeks of treatment with Epclusa will effectively treat all genotypes of Hepatitis C.
Twelve weeks of treatment with Epclusa gives a cure rate of better than 97% except for genotype 3.
The Retail price of Epclusa varies around the world but its usually between US$50,000 and US$90,000 for a 12 weeks treatment. However Epclusa made in India has a retail price of around US$850 for 12 weeks of treatment (84 pills @ one pill per day) including shipping and insurance.
AbbVie makes Mavyret in the USA but also makes Epclusa in India
Harvoni
Harvoni (Sofosbuvir 400 mg + Ledipasvir 90 mg) was originally designed to treat Hepatitis C genotype 1 but is also effective for treatment of genotype 4.
Whilst twelve weeks treatment with Harvoni is generally considered the most effective treatment for Hepatitis C genotype 1, both Epclusa and Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir give similar cure rates for G1.
Harvoni is not the optimum treatment for any other form of Hep C. So if you do not know the genotype of Hep C you are infected by you should not use Harvoni but instead use a pan-genotype treatment.
The cost of GILEAD’s Harvoni in the USA is around US$80,000 for a 12 weeks treatment however generic Harvoni from India will cost around US$750 for 12 weeks of treatment. (84 pills @ one pill per day).
Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir (Sovaldi + Daklinza)
Sofosbuvir 400 mg + Daclatasvir 60 mg is another pan-genotype Hep C treatment and is highly effective treatment option against all genotypes of Hepatitis C.
Hep C treatment using Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir is not widely used in the USA and Europe because of issues between the two patent holders of the two drugs. However Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir is a Hep C treatment widely used in the rest of the world and has been shown to be more effective than all other new Hep C medications across all genotypes of Hep C,
All genotypes of Hepatitis C, that is G1, G2, G3, G4, G5 and G6, can be treated effectively with Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir. Importantly this treatment combination is significantly lower in price than other Hepatitis C medications. It is as effective against G1 as Harvoni and as effective as Epclusa for Genotypes 2 and 3. The cost of generic Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir is US$550 for 12 weeks of treatment (2 pills per day for 84 days). The only disadvantage of using Sof + Dac is that you need to take two pills together per day instead of one pill per day.
The reason that Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir is so affordable is that it is a very easy chemical combination to manufacture.
Sofosbuvir combined with Daclatasvir is a highly effective pan-genotype treatment for Hepatitis C
For more information on Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir please click this link
Mavyret
Mavyret is a pan-genotype Hep C treatment that was released into the market as a lower cost treatment option than Gilead’s pan-genotype treatment Epclusa. With Epclusa having a price tag of over US$80,000 the makers of Mavyret, AbbVie, saw a market opportunity for a cheaper Hepatitis C treatment option. So Mavyret entered the Hep C market with a price tag between US$15,000 and US$25,000, or about a quarter the price of Epclusa.
However, US$15,000 is still a LOT of money for most people. Actually an impossible amount of money for many people. However the health insurance industry embraced a cheaper treatment option for Hep C, as did many of the national health service in those countries that provide Hep C treatment for free. For this reason Mavyret is widely used in North America and Europe but not in poorer countries like Latin America, Africa or Asia.
There is no generic version of Mavyret.
However both Epclusa and the combination of Sovaldi + Daklinza have been proved superior to Mavyret against all genotypes of Hepatitis C and are available at prices significantly below US$1,000.
Whilst Mavyret is effective against all genotypes of Hep C trials of various new Hep C medications show that Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir is about 2% more effective than Mavyret across all genotypes of Hep C.
If a person has high levels of liver fibrosis or liver cirrhosis then Mavyret is not a good treatment option as it has significantly lower cure rates for people with high levels of liver fibrosis.
Mavyret also has the disadvantage that all its components are water-insoluble. This means special factors have to be in place in the stomach for it to be absorbed. On the other hand, the medication combination of Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir is completely water-soluble, making it easier for the body to absorb.
Mavyret entered the Hep C treatment market with a significantly lower price tag than Epclusa or Harvoni
Mavyret Vs the Sofosbuvir based Hep C treatments
Mavyret is not as effective as Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir
A Buyers’ Club For Hepatitis C Treatment
One of the really big issues for people needing Hep C Treatment is the cost of branded Hepatitis C medicines. For example, Harvoni costs around US$65,000 for a 12-week treatment and Epclusa costs about US$80,000 for a 12-week treatment.
What many people do not realize is that there are GILEAD-approved generic versions of these Hep C medications that are much more affordable. These affordable Hep C treatments are absolutely identical to the branded versions of Harvoni and Epclusa and Sovaldi. Importantly these affordable generic Hepatitis C medications are licensed by GILEAD SCIENCES and manufactured with strict supervision from GILEAD.
So affordable Hepatitis C treatment is available but there is one BIG concern for people wanting to buy cheaper versions of Harvoni and Epclusa and Sovaldi online.
People considering buying Hepatitis C medication online are worried about being ripped off.
People wanting to buy affordable Hepatitis C medicines online worry about whether the supplier of the generic Hep C medicines is genuine. They worry that after they pay for the generic Epclusa or Harvoni that the medicines will not be delivered. Some folk worry that they may be buying fake generic Harvoni or Epclusa.
It is for these reasons I decided to form a kind of international Hepatitis C Buyers Club, which operates on a “people before profit” basis. This means that I help people needing to buy generic Hepatitis C medicines through the entire process.
I personally guarantee that the Hep C medication is a genuine GILEAD approved generic version of Harvoni or Epclusa or Sovaldi.
I personally guarantee delivery to you.
My philosophic position is that lack of money should not be a barrier to people accessing Hepatitis C treatment. So if finding money for Hep C treatment is a problem please let me know and I will remove my profit margin and supply GILEAD approved generic Hepatitis C medicine at my cost price.
For me, it is not about profit but about helping people to access Hep C treatment.
Hepatitis C Treatment
Through this “Hepatitis C Buyers’ Club” I offer people with Hep C free advice on how to buy Hep C medicines. The Hep C medicines that are supplied through my service include generic Harvoni, generic Epclusa, and the important combination of generic Sovaldi + Daklinza.
These are sent to you from India by express airmail from Gilead licensed, and FDA approved, manufacturers.
Another important free service of my Buyers Club is the provision of general information about generic Hepatitis C treatment options. This information is based on the most recent published information.
My Hep C Buyers Club also has a Facebook group where you can talk with hundreds of people who have had Hepatitis C and done their Hepatitis C treatment. People here will share their experiences about Hep C and the treatment of Hep C. It is a closed group and 100% private and very supportive.
But of course, the main activity of this “buyers’ club” is to facilitate the purchase of affordable Hepatitis C medication such as generic Harvoni and generic Epclusa from India.
Affordable Hepatitis C Medicines
Whilst the prices of “brand” versions of Hepatitis C medication range from US$20,000 to US$90,000 per treatment, the existence of generic versions of these medications means that there is an affordable Hep C treatment option for people with Hepatitis C who can not afford the price of Hep C medications such as Harvoni and Epclusa and Sovaldi. The prices of these approved generic Hepatitis C medicines range from US0 to US0 for a 12-week treatment.
All generic Hepatitis C medications supplied by my Buyers’ Club are manufactured under license from Gilead Sciences in FDA and WHO approved facilities and are chemically identical to brand versions.
The reason that generic Hepatitis C medicines are so relatively affordable is, simply, that these medications are not expensive to manufacture. The high prices for the brand versions, such as Epclusa and Harvoni, are only so high because of the huge profit margins put on these medications by their manufacturer. The actual cost of making these new Hep C medications is less than US$70 for a 12-week treatment. If you would like to know more about the history of Hepatitis C medication prices click this link.
For current prices of generic Hepatitis C medications please read on.
The cost of generic Hepatitis C medication is determined by the type of medication you require and the length of the treatment. Different genotypes of Hepatitis C are treated with different combinations of Hep C medications (These new Hep C medications are known as Direct Acting Antivirals or DAAs). Here I will list briefly the three main choices of Hepatitis C treatment and their prices. For more detailed information please use the links provided to go to the page specific to each medicine.
For more information on getting Hepatitis C treatment through my Buyers Club please watch this 20 minute documentary on my work:
