The substance can be reproduced in the laboratory, and is usually dosed three times a week with daily ribavirin for six months to a year. Many medical providers are utilizing daily interferon dosing. Ribavirin is an antiviral agent that may block HCV replication once the virus has entered a cell. In some cases, treatment decreases HCV viral load below limits of detection, without viral rebound upon stopping treatment. Unfortunately, interferon can have severe side effects, including fatigue, joint and muscle pain, fever, chills, depression, hair loss and nausea.
Side effects are usually most severe during the first few weeks of treatment.
Ribavirin should not be taken by pregnant women or men and women engaging in pro-creative sex since the medication can cause birth defects. Just as HIV mutates, resulting in drug-resistant strains, HCV can also mutate. These quasi-species have genetic material that is different from the original virus. The strains of virus that are treatment-resistant can survive and replicate in the presence of interferon and ribavirin. Daily dosing also increases the levels of drug in the body, making the drugs more effective.