What is Hepatitis?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), "Hepatitis" means inflammation of the liver and also refers to a group of viral infections that affect the liver. The most common types are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. Hepatitis is most often caused by a virus. In the United States, the most common types of viral hepatitis are Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. Heavy alcohol use, toxins, some medications, and certain medical conditions can also cause hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer and the most common reason for liver transplantation. An estimated 4.4million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis; most do not know they are infected. About 80,000 new infections occur each year.

More information on the common types of Hepatitis

Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C

New treatments for Hepatitis C
In 2011, the FDA approved two drugs for the treatment of Hepatitis C (HCV). These drugs must not be used as monotherapy and should only be used in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin. This is commonly known as “tripletherapy”.

VICTRELIS™ (Boceprevir)
VICTRELIS™ (Boceprevir), a hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor, which works by binding to the virus and preventing it from multiplying. Boceprevir is the first direct acting antiviral drug against the hepatitis C virus to be approved.

TELAPREVIR™ (Incivek)
TELAPREVIR™ (Incivek) is a highly-anticipated pill that is expected to have annual sales in the billions. It is approved for patients who have some liver damage from hepatitis C who either have not been treated, or were not cured by other drugs. Patients on Incivek take two pills three times per day.

From the Centers for Disease Control