Why being treated for Hepatitis C feels like pregnancy - Harvoni side effects

While you're expecting...

I would like to say that getting cured of Hepatitis C is like expecting a child - you are literally creating life within yourself. 

Not being Hepatitis C positive pretty much prevents me from having a real-life experience of how it feels to be treated with the new Gilead blockbusters Harvoni and Sovaldi but judging from the side effects from their Phase III study and complaint from the patients, I feel confident I can relate to headaches and fatigue majority of patients are experiencing. 

Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, there are some very apparent signs. If you feel morning sickness, have to vomit from time to time and feel more light-headed than usual, chances are you are carrying the fruits of the seed of life - a child. 

Many mothers can attest that they knew they were pregnant even prior of taking the test due to such overwhelmingly obvious signs. 

Here's a rundown of pregnancy-related signs:

• Morning sickness
• Loss of energy, fatigue
• Dizziness
• Weight gain
• Stability of hormone levels is questionable

All in all, these symptoms are most predominant in the first trimester. So, after 3 months, you're pretty much off the hook if you're lucky.

Hepatitis C treatment

Pregnancy has an unusual amount of parallels with the modern Hepatitis C treatment. 

Only a few years ago, majority of Hepatitis C patients were treated with injections of interferon which was known to cause severe allergic reactions that resulted in headaches and fatigue among other side effects. I always thought being treated for a deadly disease that is responsible for 500,000 deaths in a year is worth the adverse effects of interferon. However, the treatment lasted for half a year and I can hardly imagine me being normal after half a year of constant however mild headaches. It literally messes up your life. 

In 2013, humanity (well, pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences) discovered a wonder drug for Hepatitis C. The newly discovered molecule sofosbuvir proved to be successful in more than 90% of patients who regained complete recovery (interferon cure rate was 50%). What is more, the treatment only lasts for 3 months, has less severe side effects and it consists of taking a pill - much more convenient than taking sticking yourself with a needle. 

Here are some Harvoni side effects:

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Insomnia
• Weight gain (not explicitly found in Phase III drug studies but patients on Harvoni usually gain 10 pounds of more)

Comparing these side effects with the signs of early pregnancy, we see an uncanny resemblance. 

How frequent are Harvoni side effects?

Here is a nice infographic on how frequent Harvoni side effects are. This is based on results of Phase III studies by Gilead Sciences. I snatched the infographics from esofosbuvir, pretty much the most credible page on Harvoni and it's side effects.

In short, about 20% of people experience headaches and fatigue based on the clinical studies. However, if truth be told, majority of patients feel the lack of energy and occasional headaches due to Harvoni treatment. 

Harvoni and weight gain

What is surprising is that patients are experiencing some unwanted weight gain. "Harvoni regimen is a 3-months weight gain story," one of the Hepatitis C patients claimed. She gained 23 pounds while being treated successfully. The Hepatitis C (the thing that might kill you) is gone but the extra pounds are there to stay (and recently everybody is talking about how that can kill you as well).

When you think about it, though, the weight gain is pretty obvious consequence of the side effects. I've never met a person suffering from headaches and fatigue with a dire desire to cook for himself or herself a full nutritious meal. Usually in such a state we take the path of least resistance and get some snacks that can be eaten right of the couch cause 'Hey, I'm being cured of a deadly disease, I can treat myself a bit as well'.

Interestingly, eating more than usual is recommended for Hepatitis C patients on Harvoni. During treatment, the body creates antibodies and is actively fighting off the virus - and it needs extra energy to do so. There is a nice story about how Heather experienced the weight gain on Harvoni and used a fat diminishing program to start losing weight by burning fat in order to supply her body with the energy it needed.

Here is her  weight diary:

All in all, if you feel like you're pregnant, you're probably getting cured

These side effects are actually getting you an extra life. What I really love about the new Hepatitis C treatments is that they transformed Hepatitis C, one of the most deadly diseases known to man, to an easily treatable disease with a pill-a-day regimen and some mild side effects.

What I hate about it? Harvoni costs. Those pretty much translate into Gilead putting a gun to your head and asking you for $94,500 or they'll blow your brains out. This is the US price of Harvoni.

Gilead has managed to put a price on human life: And it's $94,500. 

But in the end, you have to give it to them - they managed to produce a drug that no-one else in the last 100 years of pharmaceutical industry could. It saves lives every day but,  on the other hand, the price also prevent lives from being saved. So there you have it, the blessings and evils of big pharma.