Treatment options | Tibotec hepatitis

Current treatment

The drugs available to treat the hepatitis C virus have improved over recent years; however, there is still considerable room for further improvement. The current drugs have to be taken for a long time: 24 weeks for hepatitis C genotypes 2 or 3, and 48 weeks for genotypes 1, 4, 5 or 6. In some cases, where a patient responds very quickly to treatment – within the first 4 weeks (rapid virological response), the duration of treatment may be reduced. It is important that patients keep taking their medications until their doctor tells them to stop, as this is the only proven way to control the virus and prevent its damaging effects. The current treatments for hepatitis C can make people feel very tired and more time should be set aside for rest periods during the day.

Patients are usually treated with a combination of two different drugs, pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Pegylated interferon is delivered by injection once a week; ribavirin comes in tablet form and is taken twice a day. The pegylated interferon is injected just under the skin by the patients themselves or by a nurse.

Combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin is the most effective treatment currently available. However, a few patients cannot take ribavirin and, therefore, they may be prescribed interferon on its own, which is known as monotherapy.

Contraindications

The drugs used to treat hepatitis C are not suitable for everyone. Conditions that may affect which treatment can be given include heart disease, advanced liver disease, pregnancy, severe depression or psychosis. In addition, a very small number of people have an in-built sensitivity to interferons that can lead to bad reactions. Some people need very close monitoring whilst they take treatment and others will not be able to take it at all.

Vaccines

At the moment there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. There is a vaccine for hepatitis A and another for hepatitis B (although they are often combined in a multiple vaccination) but all the hepatitis viruses are very different, so the vaccines for hepatitis A and hepatitis B do not work against hepatitis C.

In some countries, it is recommended that people with hepatitis C are vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B. This is to avoid the risk of co-infection with either of these viruses and to stop any potential further damage to the liver.