It usually takes a long time for symptoms and illness to show up, around 10 - 30 years on average. In many cases, hepatitis C progression is so slow that there's little risk of illness during a normal lifespan. Severe illness from hepatitis C can occur if the liver becomes badly scarred and damaged, a condition called cirrhosis of the liver. The standard treatment for hepatitis C is an injectable drug called alpha-interferon. Recent studies have shown better results with a combination of alpha-interferon and a drug called ribavirin .
Ribavirin comes in pill form.
This upset many people, because several drug companies make versions of alpha-interferon and some versions may have less side effects than others, depending on the individual. It is also widely known that ribavirin is very cheap to produce. This ribavirin is available by mail order from Fisher's Specialty Pharmacy Services in Pittsburgh. Fisher's will work with you and your insurance provider to make sure the drug is covered. The drug belongs to a new class of drugs called fusion inhibitors.