Improved Treatment for Hepatitis C Reported

Researchers have for the first time been able to induce long-term suppression of the hepatitis C virus in patients carrying the viral strain that is most common in North America. The work was reported by physicians at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in New York City.

The key to the treatment was matching the dose of drugs to the particular genetic composition of a patient’s virus, the team told a medical conference in Madrid.

Using a combination of the antiviral drug ribavirin and a long-acting form of interferon alfa-2a, the team reported attaining an overall suppression of 61%, the highest ever achieved.

In patients with the most common North American strain, 51% had suppression of the virus for at least six months, the team reported.