Pill Offers Hope for Hepatitis C Virus Carriers

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Published November 28, 2007, last updated on February 25, 2013 under Research News

Researchers at Duke and other centers world-wide have found that eltrombopag (marketed as Promacta in the US and Revolade in Europe) boosted platelet counts in a majority of patients with low platelet counts and cirrhosis of the liver due to hepatitis C virus infection. Higher platelet counts enabled most patients to continue or start conventional antiviral treatment. Unlike other drugs that restore normal platelet functions but are given through infusions or injections, eltrombopag is a pill taken just once a day. It is estimated that 4 million people in the U.S. and 170 million people world-wide carry the hepatitis C virus.

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