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Researchers are close to improved hepatitis C treatment

Category: Liver Diseases

Individuals who have received a positive hepatitis C test may soon have more treatment options that could significantly improve their chances of beating the disease.

Researchers from Cardiff University recently completed the first stage of testing on a new generation of drugs that may offer many improvements over traditional medications for the disease. Completing the first stage of testing means that the drug has a good chance of becoming approved by federal authorities.

Hepatitis C affects approximately 170 million people worldwide. There is currently no cure for the disease. However, current medications often come along with severe side effects. This causes patients to frequently go off of treatment early.

"This is still a very early stage of the trials process but none the less a significant development," said Chris McGuigan, who led the research. "Successfully completing phase 1a demonstrates that the drug is safe, with no drug-related side effects at all in a single dose of 100mg."

While the current medication being tested may not offer a cure for hepatitis C, investigators hope that it could reduce symptoms while offering little to no side effects.