Can hepatitis C be cured? Yes, it can! A range of new hep C treatments will cure your hep C, often with few side effects. Hep C treatment is covered by BC PharmaCare, private insurance coverage, and other coverage programs such as those through the federal government (First Nations insured Benefits, Veterans health coverage, and other plans. Hep C treatments must be prescribed by an experienced GP (family doctor), nurse practitioner or specialist.
Hep C Treatment is a Cure!
The new cures for hep C are different to treatments that were available before 2018 [1].
Now around 95% of people who take them are cured—or more!—even if you have liver cirrhosis from hep C.
Direct-acting anti-viral treatments available to treat hep C:
- Epclusa (all genotypes, for 12 weeks)
- Maviret (all genotypes, for 8 weeks)
- Harvoni (genotype 1, for 8 or 12 weeks)
- Vosevi (all genotypes; used after previous DAA treatment)
Learn more about hep C treatment by visiting the Hepatitis Treatment Information Project.
What Will My Doctor Need to Know To Treat Me?
In BC, before treatment doctors will need:
- A hep C blood test from a lab (RNA test), from within the last 12 months
- The sub-type of hep C that you have (genotype), which will be checked if an RNA test is positive
- How well your liver is working (Fibroscan or blood tests)
After finishing treatment, it’s very important to get a hep C RNA test to make sure you are cured—this is called a SVR (sustained virologic response) test, sometimes called an SVR-12.
Why cure hep C?
Curing your hep C clears the virus from your body. It reduces liver inflammation and can help reverse fibrosis and even cirrhosis in some cases. Knowing that you no longer have hep C can help you feel better and you can no longer pass the virus to others.
Re-treatment and re-infection
We can get hep C more than once: this is called re-infection. If a person gets hep C more than once, they can be treated and cured again, too. In BC, treatment is available as many times as is needed.
In rare cases (less than 5% of the time), a hep C infection might not respond to a first round of treatment. When that happens, a person can be re-treated and cured nearly all of the time.
Hep C 101: Treatment
Watch the video or listen to the podcast.
Getting Support for Hep C
- Finding a hep C treatment provider
- Finding you support to complete treatment
- Understanding treatment side-effects
- Anything else related to your hep C!
Help4Hep BC can provide general information and connect you to healthcare or community organizations: it is not a substitute for talking with a healthcare provider.
To find hep C-related services near you, visit the Hep C Care Registry.