Hepatitis C is a common disease caused by a virus and can be devastating because it actually leads to liver failure. Until now, it has been very difficult to treat. But there is new information about a class of medicine that looks very promising. “Hepatologists are trained and experienced in treating and managing individuals with liver disease,” explains Roshan Shrestha, M.D., a hepatologist and medical director of liver transplantation at Piedmont Transplant Institute. “Hepatitis C is a fairly common illness in the general population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 4 million people in the United States are infected with the disease.”

While the illness may be common, symptoms may not show for years. “Many individuals who have the infection may not have acute symptoms. For many years, we consider this a ‘silent disease,”’ he says. “Until recently, there were no good medications to treat it and as a result, the individual with chronic hepatitis C ultimately ended up having cirrhosis, or liver failure, and required liver transplantation,” says Dr. Shrestha. A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine looks at new class of drugs called protease inhibitors. “These drugs are designed to prevent the growth of the virus in the body. Ultimately, as a result, you could potentially eradicate the disease,” he says.

This new treatment for hepatitis C is analogous to the treatment that has been developed for HIV patients. “We are dealing with a virus, so just like with HIV, we started with one or two drugs,” notes Dr. Shrestha. “Now we have multiple antiretroviral drugs that are making a significant impact. That is exactly what is now happening with treatment options for Hepatitis C.”

Dr. Shrestha is optimistic that these new studies may lead to a cure for some individuals. “The current hepatitis C treatments, which are FDA-approved, are interferon and ribavirin. The cure rate with those medications is only about 50 to 55 percent,” he says. “Now with the addition of protease inhibitors, the cure rate has gone up to about 70 to 75 percent. “There are significant advantages to adding this new class of drug and we are optimistic that it will be approved by the FDA in the near future,” he adds. “With this new medication, we will be able to help hundreds of thousands of patients.”

While hepatitis C is a serious illness that affects millions of people in the United States, as Dr. Shrestha says, this new research offers significant hope for a cure.

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