Question

I am currently being treated for hepatitis C with Rebretron, which is a combination of ribavirin pills and inteferon injections. My question is: Are there any other treatments available for patients with Hepatitis C that have proven to be a cure?

Answer

There are presently no cures for Hepatitis C. Many pharmaceutical companies and private laboratories are working on this, but so far nothing has been found to be curative.

Current therapies for hepatitis C often don't work and can be extremely difficult to take - e.g. an injection three times a week for an entire year; even then successful treatment is the exception. New therapies are urgently needed, and are the subject of significant research efforts.

Improved versions of today's drugs are being developed. In addition, new therapeutic classes, such as protease inhibitors and vaccines, are under consideration as possible treatment for hepatitis C.
So far research efforts are focused on four areas:

Interferons -- Alpha-interferons are a group of natural substances produced by the body to fight viral infections. Injected forms are the cornerstone of current hepatitis C treatment. Scientists are modifying
interferon and developing new types in an effort to improve the compound's activity. One modified interferon, known as PEGylated interferon, shows promise.

Interleukins -- Early laboratory experiments revealed that certain interleukins, which are natural infection-fighting compounds, may be able to suppress the hepatitis C virus. More recent studies have raised questions about the effectiveness of interleukin treatment. Nevertheless, further attempts to develop interleukin compounds are in progress.

Protease Inhibitors -- Hepatitis C virus uses a molecule called 'protease' to reproduce. (Other viruses, like HIV, use proteases to survive; although the molecules have similar names, they are quite different, and drugs that inhibit the HIV protease do not work against the hepatitis C protease). Researchers are currently developing several different types of drugs that block the hepatitis C protease, but these are not yet available in clinical trials.

Vaccines -- Researchers are attempting to develop a vaccine to prevent hepatitis C infection. Vaccines against the hepatitis A and hepatitis B viruses are already available. Production of a hepatitis C vaccine is likely several years away, and in any case will not help people already infected with the virus.

Many web sites contain information of 'promised cures', but they should be read with due caution. For instance, the usefulness of Colloidal Silver is not medically proven.

The Hepatitis Foundation International is a well read site that will keep you informed of new treatments around the world.

Links

• Hepatitis Foundation International