There is no cure however Pegasys Interferon can lead to remission

Hello there!

Here in the US, I know that drug as "Hydroxyurea" or "HU."

As you may know, it's widely used both for ET as well as sickle cell anemia.

It makes our blood more slippery, helping protect us from clots. And it puts the brakes on our manic overproduction of platelets. Without HU, we would be at great risk from cardiovascular events, and we would be depleting our blood marrow to the point of no return.

We're very fortunate to have this amazing drug, especially since it's relatively inexpensive.

Some people have troubling side effects from HU. Happily, there are some alternative drugs if that become a problem for you.

But none of the drugs that treat ET are a cure. There is no cure for ET. So, for most of us, HU is something we'll take for the rest of our lives.

Yes, that's daunting.

But look at it another way: Because of HU, our lives will be longer.