On May 4 the FDA's Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee recommended approval of combination treatment with ribavirin plus interferon alpha for hepatitis C which had not been cured by interferon alone. Ribavirin, a broad-spectrum antiviral long approved for oral use in almost every country of the world except the U.S., is expected to be officially approved and on pharmacy shelves here by this fall.
Alpha interferon is already a prescription drug.
It is estimated that about four million Americans have hepatitis C, but only about one million know it. Patients need to know that hepatitis C might not be properly diagnosed and treated by physicians, including specialists, who are not experienced in treating chronic viral infections. Combination treatment with ribavirin appears to at least double the cure rate. But many patients who may need treatment have not been receiving it. The hepatitis C clinical trial data so far is from patients who are HIV negative.