What if the treatment doesn't work?
Treatment is regarded as a success if Hepatitis C cannot be
detected in your blood some months after treatment. This is
referred to as a Sustained
Viral Response (SVR) and means you have cleared the virus.
However, treatment is not successful for everyone. People who fail
to clear the virus are often referred to as null or partial
responders or relapsers.
The therapeutic advances in HCV therapy have currently
been mainly in genotype 1 and we have reached a stage where
regimens 97-100% are effective. Genotype 3 treatments
are currently in phase 3 (last stage) trials and are likely to have
similar efficacy. If one treatment does not produce a cure one of
the others available is
now likely to work.
Null or partial responders
A person who does not manage to reduce the amount of Hepatitis C
RNA (viral load) in their blood by at least 100 times after 12
weeks of treatment is a null responder. A partial responder is
someone who manages to reduce their Hepatitis C RNA (viral load) by
at least 100 times but does not fully remove the virus from their
blood by week 24 of treatment. Being a null or parial responder
indicates you are unlikely or less likely to achieve a sustained
viral response and your healthcare professional will discuss with
you what options are available in going forward with treatment (response
guided therapy).
Relapsers
A person with no detectable virus at the end of treatment but
for whom the virus can then be detected (HCV RNA
positive) a number of months later.
Retreatment
If treatment doesn't work first time, you will be able to talk
to your doctor about trying again. You may be considered for
retreatment depending on your previous response and course of
treatment. Then, the drugs, dosage and length of treatment are
altered to offer an increased chance of success.