Toward Further Dissemination of Superior Pharmacotherapy Toward Further Dissemination of Superior Pharmacotherapy Current Status and Consideration of Interferon Therapy Reception in Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients
Yumiko Nagao (Assistant Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Kurume University School of Medicine)
Michio Sada (Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Kurume University School of Medicine)
Fumio Suzuki (Senior Researcher, Pharmaceutical and Industrial Policy Research Institute)
Haruhiko Nobayashi (Former Senior Researcher, Pharmaceutical and Industrial Policy Research Institute)
Yutaka Kawakami (Former Senior Researcher, Pharmaceutical and Industrial Policy Research Institute)
(No.32: Published in August 2006)
Excellent drug therapies and new medicines have great value when they are widely used by patients in the medical field. One example is interferon (IFN) therapy for chronic hepatitis C. IFN was approved in 1992, and although it is associated with side effects, it is now highly regarded by hepatologists as the first-line drug for chronic hepatitis C in terms of suppressing liver cancer development and improving life expectancy. However, the reality is that the drug has not been approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. In reality, however, the uptake rate of IFN treatment for chronic hepatitis C is not high.
In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey of hepatitis C virus-infected patients in a certain area, asking both patients and their doctors (specialists and non-specialists) to understand the actual status of IFN therapy and to consider how medical care should be provided to further promote the use of new drugs and drug therapies.
The survey results revealed that the key to increasing patient acceptance of IFN therapy is for physicians to explain and recommend IFN therapy to their patients correctly and in an easy-to-understand manner, and to deepen patients' understanding of IFN therapy. To achieve this, it will be necessary to improve the quality of communication between patients and their physicians, as well as to discuss ways of cooperation and collaboration between specialists and non-specialists within the community.