The Revolution in Treatment of Hepatitis C

Treatment of hepatitis C with interferon therapy produced some cures early on, but was associated with significant side effects. Because of further advances in the molecular understanding of hepatitis C, by 2014 effective treatments became available that far surpassed all prior interferon-based regimens in efficacy, tolerability, and safety. This led to rapid transformation of a hard-to-treat disease to simple, safe, and effective treatment offered to anyone. This article focuses on hepatitis C epidemiology; the clinical impact and consequences; discussion of past hepatitis C treatments; and a review of current recommendations for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of this ubiquitous virus.