Sofosbuvir brands and prices in Pakistan

About Sofosbuvir

Sofosbuvir is an antiviral medicine for hepatitis C. It blocks a protein that the hepatitis C virus needs to make copies of itself, so the amount of virus in the body goes down and, over time, the virus is cleared from the blood. It belongs to a group of hepatitis C medicines called direct-acting antivirals. Sofosbuvir does not work on its own: it is always taken together with at least one other hepatitis C medicine. Treatment is planned and checked by a specialist, using blood tests before, during and after the course. Young children may be given it as small pellets instead of tablets.

Who should not take it, or should take care

• Do not take it if you are allergic to sofosbuvir or any other ingredient.
• Do not take it if you are taking rifampicin, St John's wort, carbamazepine, phenobarbital or phenytoin. Tell your doctor straight away if you are.
• Tell your doctor if you take, or have recently taken, amiodarone, because of the risk of a dangerously slow heartbeat. Extra heart checks may be needed.
• Tell your doctor if you have now or have ever had hepatitis B. You will be tested before treatment and checked during and after it.
• Tell your doctor if you have liver problems other than hepatitis C, are waiting for a liver transplant, or have had one.
• Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems or are on dialysis, or if you have HIV.
• Tell your doctor if you have diabetes. Your blood sugar may need checking more often and your diabetes medicine may need changing.
• Pregnancy: there is little information about sofosbuvir in pregnancy, so ask your doctor before taking it if you are pregnant or planning a baby. If it is given with ribavirin, which can seriously harm an unborn baby, pregnancy must be avoided: both you and your partner must use effective contraception during treatment and for a time afterwards, as your doctor advises. Contact your doctor straight away if pregnancy happens.
• Breastfeeding: the UK and WHO-approved leaflets say not to breastfeed during treatment, because it is not known whether sofosbuvir passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor.

Medicines and drinks that can interact

• Must not be taken with rifampicin, St John's wort, carbamazepine, phenobarbital or phenytoin, because they stop it working
• Amiodarone (a heart rhythm medicine): can cause a dangerously slow heartbeat
• Rifapentine, oxcarbazepine and modafinil: may make sofosbuvir work less well, so talk to your doctor first
• Warfarin and similar blood thinners: you may need blood tests more often
• Medicines that dampen the immune system, such as those taken after a transplant, may need checking and changing as liver function improves
• Diabetes medicines may need adjusting, as blood sugar can drop
• The other hepatitis C medicines given with sofosbuvir have their own interactions, so read their leaflets too
• Always tell your doctor and pharmacist about every medicine you take, including medicines you buy, vitamins, supplements and herbal remedies, and ask before starting, stopping or changing any of them

Always tell your doctor and pharmacist about every medicine, supplement and herbal product you take.

Using it safely

• Take it only as your specialist prescribes, together with the other hepatitis C medicines you have been given. Do not stop unless your doctor tells you to; completing the full course gives you the best chance of clearing the virus.
• The UK and WHO-approved leaflets say to take the tablet with food (US advice says with or without food). Follow the leaflet that comes with your medicine.
• Swallow the tablet whole. Do not chew, crush or split it, as it tastes very bitter. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you find tablets hard to swallow.
• Pellets for young children can be swallowed whole or sprinkled on soft food that is not acidic; do not chew them. Follow the leaflet and the team's advice.
• If you are sick soon after taking it, or you forget a dose, check the leaflet or ask your pharmacist what to do, as the answer depends on timing. Never take a double dose.
• Go to all your blood tests before, during and after treatment. They show whether the treatment has worked.
• Your specialist may advise you to stop or cut down on alcohol, keep to a healthy weight and stop smoking, to protect your liver.
• When taken with other hepatitis C medicines it can cause tiredness, dizziness, blurred vision or poor concentration. Do not drive, cycle or use machines if you are affected.
• Keep it out of the sight and reach of children, in its original container. Do not throw unused medicine into drains or household rubbish; return it to a pharmacy.

Common questions

Can sofosbuvir cure hepatitis C?
Yes, for most people, when it is taken with the right partner medicine. WHO says direct-acting antiviral treatment cures more than 95 out of 100 people with hepatitis C. Blood tests after treatment show whether the virus has gone. If it has not, your specialist can recommend another medicine.

Why do I need another medicine with sofosbuvir?
Sofosbuvir does not work against hepatitis C by itself. It is always combined with at least one other hepatitis C medicine, such as daclatasvir, velpatasvir, ledipasvir or ribavirin. Your specialist chooses the combination.

Is sofosbuvir used in Pakistan?
Yes. Pakistan has one of the highest numbers of hepatitis C infections in the world. WHO says sofosbuvir with daclatasvir is the most widely used low-cost treatment that works for all the main types of the virus, and this is the combination used in a large Pakistani treatment study published in 2023.

Once I am cured, can I get hepatitis C again?
Yes. You can get hepatitis C more than once, and there is no vaccine. Keep avoiding contact with other people's blood, for example by never sharing needles, syringes, razors or toothbrushes.

Why does my doctor ask about heart medicines?
The heart rhythm medicine amiodarone can slow the heartbeat dangerously when taken with sofosbuvir, even if you stopped it a few months ago. Your doctor may choose another treatment or arrange extra heart checks.

Prepared from the sources listed by the MedInfoBase team. General information, not medical advice: it gives no doses. Your doctor or pharmacist decides the medicine and dose for you.