List

RX List

This RX list page is meant to inform you about the medications commonly used to treat Hepatitis C. As mentioned before, the most common form of treatment for the Hepatitis C Virus is a combination of interferons and ribavirin. This information is very basic if you have any questions or concers regarding taking these treatments, please contact a medical profesional.

Interferons
Interferons are proteins made and released by the cells of humans in response to the presence of all types of pathogens (such as viruses, bacteria, parasites or tumor cells). The interferons in ones body allow communication between cells to trigger the protective defenses of the immune system that eradicate pathogens. Treatment for Hepatitis C uses Interferon-a to increase the potency of interferons naturally occurring in the body. Many people who who have been treated with interferon-a have a sustained virological response and can eliminate the hepatitis virus from their system. However, there is a more harmful strain of the virus, known as Hepatitis C genotype I virus, where the recovery rate is only 50%. Interferon medication is generally given as an injection under the skin any where from one to three times per week.

Peginterferons
Peginterferons are a complex family of proteins, produced naturally by the human body, that serve two purposes. They help the body fight off diseases while at the same time they prevent viruses from multiplying and damaging the body. There are synthetic peginterferons avaliable including Pegasys (Pegylated interferon alfa-2a) and Pegintron (Pegylated interferon alfa-2b). Peginterferons are taken in the form of a shot. Taken together with ribavirin, Peginterferons have been shown to be more effective than interferon/ribavirin at treating the more harmful genotype 1 form of Hepatitis.

Ribavirin
Ribavirin (Rebetol) is the other drug often used in conjunctioin with Interferons. Ribavirin is a prodrug, which when metabolised resembles purine RNA nucleotides. In this form it interferes with RNA metabolism required for viral replication. It is an antimetabolite drug that interferes with duplication of viral genetic material, and thus slows the spread of the pathogen. On its own, ribavirin has little to no effect on Hepatitis C, but it does help interferon work better. Ribavirin is most often taken in pill from.