Early treatment of acute hepatitis C infection may be highly effective

A study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that prompt treatment with interferon in those acutely infected with hepatitis C virus prevented chronic infection in almost all (98%) patients (1). In this landmark study, 44 patients with acute hepatitis C were given 5 mU of interferon alfa-2b for four weeks daily, and then three times a week for another 20 weeks.