BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. About 4 million Americans are living with the virus. Hepatitis C is spread by contact with the blood of an infected person. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of every 100 people infected with hepatitis C about:

» 55 to 85 people might develop long-term infection
» 70 people might develop chronic liver disease
» Five to 20 people might develop cirrhosis over 20 to 30 years
» One to 5 people might die from the consequences of long term infection (liver cancer or cirrhosis)

Hepatitis C is a leading indicator for liver transplants. Sharing a needle with an infected person when using intravenous drugs is one of the most common ways to contracting hepatitis C.

TREATING HEPATITIS C: A common treatment for hepatitis C is interferon. Interferon is a protein that the body naturally makes to fight off infections. By injecting extra interferon, people with hepatitis C can better fight the virus. Long-acting interferon is given as one shot a week, while short-acting interferon is injected three times a week. The long-acting interferon given once a week is a newer form and is the main form of interferon used today. In a study published in 2002, this form was shown to be slightly more effective than short-acting interferon, and it's also easier to take -- with just one shot a week rather than three. Another drug called ribavirin (Copegus, Rebetol, Virazole) is often used along with interferon treatment. Ribavirin can help fight some viruses and is taken orally. It has to be taken with interferon to work. It will not fight hepatitis C by itself.

Mitchell Shiffman, M.D., from Virginia Commonwealth University, says hepatitis C is a unique disease. He says: "It is the only virus that we are aware of that can actually be cured. It can be completely eradicated from the body with no evidence of detectable virus." However, not all people can rid the virus from their bodies using current treatments. Dr. Shiffman says, "Overall, with our current medicine of [interferon] and ribavirin, this gives us a cure rate of about 40 to 45 percent ... Most individuals cannot be cured with hepatitis C with the current regimen, but still a large number can."

HELP WHEN TREATMENT FAILS: For patients who are not cured with the current standard of care, there is a new drug that could do the trick. Infergen is an interferon that has a much higher potency than other interferons. In a study Dr. Shiffman found about 25 percent of people who had failed previous therapies had undetectable levels of hepatitis C in their bodies after 48 weeks on Infergen and ribavirin together. Infergen is not as easy to take, as it must be given once a day, but studies show it's worth it. Dr. Shiffman says, "This is an extremely exciting result for individuals that have previously failed to respond to [standard treatments.]" Infergen is already FDA-approved to treat hepatitis C.