A mix of four medications has provided the most effective way so far to counter the hepatitis C virus in people with liver scarring.
Twelve weeks after taking the last dose of the treatment, 191 of 208 patients had no trace of the virus in their bloodstream and 165 of 172 patients on a 24-week regimen appeared to be clear of the infection. Researchers reported the results of the phase III clinical trial — the highest standard for getting regulatory approval of a drug — April 12 at the International Liver Conference in London and in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The treatment could be on the market by the end of 2014 or in early 2015, the scientists say.
