This is how hepa-titis C is treated (and even cured forever) Hepa-titis C is a serious liver disease that can lead to liver cancer, liver failure or even death. But fortunately, not only can hepatitis C be treated, but it can be cured. These days, people with hepatitis C have options when it comes to their treatment, including pills that are easier to take and far more effective than past injections. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) spreads through contact with infected blood, such as shared needles or syringes (can not be obtained from casual contact with an infected person). Up to 25% of individuals who get the virus have an acute, or short-lived, the infection that is eliminated by the body without treatment. The remaining 75% to 85% of cases, up to 4 million people in the United States, develop chronic hepatitis C, which means the virus persists for six months or more. For people with chronic hepatitis C, getting treatment as soon as possible can help shorten the life expectancy of the disease and, hopefully, clear the infection in a matter of weeks. “With the regimens that exist now, there may be only one pill with few side effects and cure rates of more than 95%, closing at 98% to 99%,” says Eugene Schiff, MD, professor of medicine and director of Schiff Center for Liver Diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Everything you need to know about hepatitis C The number of drugs that treat hepatitis C has increased in recent years. The first treatment options for hepatitis C were a combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. However, they were accompanied by unpleasant side effects and were effective less than half the time, says Ryan Westergaard, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Interferon also had to be injected. Today’s drugs have fewer side effects and are better at fighting the virus. Before deciding on a treatment, your doctor will consider the genotype (strain) of your hepatitis C. Treatment for hepatitis C is now based on drugs called direct-acting antivirals (AADs), which prevent the virus from reproducing. Examples of DAAs, which come in pill form, are Elysium (simeprevir); Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), which is used in combination with Elysium; Daklinza (daclatasvir); Y Harvoni (a mix of Ledipasvir and sofosbuvir). In 2016, the FDA approved EPC USA, a combination of sofosbuvir and another drug, vel patas Vir, to treat all genotypes of hepatitis C. What’s more, newer treatments usually clear the virus in a matter of weeks. The earlier you start, the better, though even those who already have liver damage can benefit. “It will not fix your liver, [but] it will cure them of the virus that is doing ongoing liver damage,” says Dr. Westergaard. “It’s burning the fire even though the house is still burning.” Lifestyle strategies are also necessary, especially in the advanced stages of liver disease. This includes eating a healthy diet, exercising and avoiding alcohol and illicit drugs that can further damage the liver.