Patient description: The patient is a 55-year-old man diagnosed with HCV 2 years ago and the recent coinfection with HBV. His past medical history is non-significant. He is on IFN, RBV and direct antiviral drugs for the past 6 months. The patient takes no other medications. His medical records show previous positive HCV RNA tests and a positive enzyme immunoassay for anti-HCV-antibodies. The recent biopsy was negative for hepatocellular carcinoma and was only remarkable for chronic inflammation compatible with a chronic viral hepatitis. There is no evidence of alcoholic liver disease, bleeding from esophageal varices, hemochromatosis, autoimmune hepatitis, or metabolic liver disease. He is an alert male with no acute distress. His BP: 130/75, HR: 90/min and BMI: 27. His abdomen is soft with no ascites or tenderness. The lower extremities are normal with no edema.

Clinical trial eligibility criteria: eligible ages (years): 18.0-70.0,  Chronic Hepatitis C anti-HCV positive; 2. viral load of HCV positive; 3. viral genotypes 1, 2 or 3; 4. the absence of previous treatment for chronic hepatitis C; 5. liver biopsy performed in the last 36 months classified by Metavir score as at least A1, with any degree of fibrosis ; 6. age from 18 to 70 years old; 7. hemoglobin greater than 11 g / dl; 8. platelet count higher than 75.000/mm3; 9. neutrophils higher than 1.500/mm3; 10. use of, at least two contraceptive methods during treatment and up to 36 weeks after the last dose of study medication (for male or female subjects in fertile age ); 11. concordance and signing of the informed consent  decompensated cirrhosis (Child-Pugh score> 6); 2. history of bleeding gastroesophageal varices; 3. hemoglobinopathies; 4. hepatocellular carcinoma; 5. co-infection with HIV or HBV; 6. other coexisting chronic liver disease, as autoimmune hepatitis, Wilson disease, hemochromatosis, chronic obstructive cholestatic disease or autoimmune disease, alcoholic liver disease; 7. malignancies except basal cell carcinoma in situ or cervix carcinoma; 8. systemic autoimmune diseases, except compensated autoimmune thyroid diseases ; 9. uncontrolled seizures; 10. primary immunodeficiencies; 11. myelosuppression; 12. coagulation disorders; 13. thrombophilias; 14. thrombopathy ; 15. decompensated heart failure; 16. chronic renal failure; 17. diagnosis of other comorbidity that would compromise the subject's participation in the research study as judged by the investigator (eg, neuropsychiatric diseases, systemic infection or antibiotic use within 4 weeks, decompensated diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, respiratory or renal or uncontrolled hypertension); 18. prior organ transplantation, except cornea; 19. alcohol consumption exceeding 20g/day for women and 40g/dia for men during the past six months; 20. use of illicit drugs in the previous six months; 21. use of immunosuppressive agents during the previous six months; 22. pregnancy or lactation; 23. male research subjects whose sexual partner is pregnant; 24. previous treatment with IFN or ribavirin in the last 6 months prior to inclusion; 25. subjects with hypersensibility to IFN alpha and / or any of its components; 26. subjects with hypersensibility to ribavirin and / or any of its ingredients; 27. participation in another clinical study in the last 12 months