The goal of HCV treatment is to cure the virus, which can be done by using a combination of drugs. The standard of care and duration of treatment for hepatitis C depends on the HCV genotype (or genetic structure of the virus), along with what happens during the initial months of therapy.

Remember the importance of knowing your HCV genotype discussed in the "How is it diagnosed, and what tests are used?" lesson? Well, it matters when it comes to treatment.

Hepatitis C genotype 1 is treated with three drugs: pegylated interferon, ribavirin, and a protease inhibitor. Treatment can last for as long 48 weeks, and will results in a sustained virologic response (SVR) in up to 70 percent of people who have never been treated for HCV.

Genotypes 2 and 3 are treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (standard dose is 800 mg/day, but weight based dosing is also used in some cases). Duration of treatment ranges from three to 12 months, depending on hepatitis C viral load, liver damage, insulin resistance, and early response to treatment. Most people are treated for six months because the risk for relapse is greater when treatment is shortened. SVR rates among first-time treatment takers can be over 90 percent for genotype 2, and are 65 percent or more in HCV genotype 3.

HCV genotype 4 is treated with 48 weeks of pegylated interferon and weight-based ribavirin; SVR rates in people living with HCV being treated for the first time are as high as 70 percent.

Here's more specific information on each of these important classes of HCV treatments:

When hepatitis C treatment is working, the virus will become undetectable within four to 12 weeks, and it will remain that way throughout treatment, and for six months afterwards: an SVR.

Researchers are trying to cure HCV without pegylated interferon, by using a combination of oral drugs, called direct acting antivirals (DAAs) to suppress viral replication, a strategy that works for treating—but not curing—HIV.

Early evidence of the possibility of curing HCV without pegylated interferon and ribavirin was reported at a conference in April 2011, when four of ten people were cured after six months of treatment with two DAAs. Clinical trials are exploring drug combinations and treatment strategies to increase SVR rates, with and without pegylated interferon and ribavirin.