RioTech

RioTech

RioTech is an information site about Hepatitis C and the many forms of treatment and medication avaliable to those who suffer from it. Pharmasutical companies and reserchers from Oxford to California and all over the world are working to find better ways of treating and overcoming this virus. As it stands now, there is no here is no vaccine available to prevent HCV, and treatment for the stronger strain of the virus is only effective in treating it 50% of the time. However for those who are infected, there is some hope. Reserchers in the field of HCV treatment are beginging to understand more and more about Hepatitis C, and how to treat it. This website aims to relay this message to as many people as possible.

Hepatitis is a broad term that means inflammation of the liver. This liver inflammation is often caused by an infection. Another common cause of Hepatitis is over-exposure to alcohol, certain medications, chemicals, poisons, and other toxins, or by other diseases. The Hepatitis C virus also known as HCV, is one of the many viruses that can cause inflammation of the liver. The virus is alarmingly common, with over 170 million people infected worldwide. The World Wide Health Organization also estimates that 3-4 million people are newly infected every year. HCV is the leading cause of many chronic liver diseases including end-stage cirrhosis, hepatic fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Currently antivirals are the only medicines used as treatment for long-term hepatitis C (HCV). These medicines can help stop the hepatitis C virus from destroying the liver. If the antivirals are effective, the virus is eradicated and the scarring and inflammation of the liver are greatly reduced.

The most common form of treatment for the Hepatitis C Virus is a combination of interferons and ribavirin because this combination is more effective than either drug alone. Specifically, certain pegylated interferons (for example, peginterferon alfa-2a [Pegasys]) have improved sustained response rates. (Pegylation is a chemical process that makes the interferon last longer in the body, and sustained response means complete disappearance of the hepatitis C virus 6 months after stopping treatment.) For more information on the types of treatments available for Hepatitis C, please see our RX List page.

Currently there are many producers of Hepatitis C medications that are either undergoing testing, or are currently on the market. To find out more about the companies researching and producing these medications, our Companies page is a good place to start.

To stay up to date on topics related to Hepatitis C and Hepatitis C treatment, our News page helps keep people informed.