After treatment

If treatment is successful…

Treatment is successful if a person still has undetectable virus six months after treatment ends; this is called sustained virological response (SVR). With SVR, the person has cleared the virus, but he or she is not immune to HCV and it is still possible to get re-infected. Taking steps to stay safe will help people continue to live well once they have finished Hep C treatment.

If treatment is not successful…

If treatment failed to clear the virus from a person, there are still many options to help people live well with HCV. 

Examining the reasons for treatment failure can shed light on other options a person may have. If a person had difficulty adhering to treatment, are there factors that could be changed to help him or her complete it in the future? Each person is unique and decisions like this should be made on an individual basis. 

Sometimes, re-treatment may be an option. People who took interferon monotherapy (an older form of treatment that did not include the boost of ribavirin) may consider trying treatment again with the current combination therapy of peg-interferon and ribavirin. Some studies have shown that people may have a small possibility of treatment success with the other version of peg-interferon that is currently available and made by the other pharmaceutical company. Research is ongoing and scientists are looking for new treatment options. People can try treatment again if new drugs become available or if new treatment regimens are developed. 

Liver transplantation is an option for people with advanced liver disease and whose liver has ceased to function. Transplantation is not a cure, however, as the virus is still present in the body and will infect the new liver. There are long waiting lists for liver transplants and living with a transplanted organ can be challenging.