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
virologic response (SVR) and means you have cleared the virus.
However, treatment is not successful for everyone.
Even if you do not clear the virus, receiving treatment can help
slow down the infection and can stop your liver getting swollen and
scarred.
A very low percentage of patients will also relapse (this means
that the virus becomes detectable again after treatment is
completed).
If treatment doesn't work first time or if a relapse occurs, you
will be able to talk to your doctor about trying a different course
for treatment.
Re-treatment means that the drugs, the dosage and length of
treatment are changed to offer an increased chance of success.