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View the video entitled Getting Treated for Hepatitis C Announcer: The information provided in this video is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, you should contact your health care provider. Segment 7: The importance of treatment Jacobson: Treatments for hepatitis C have been improving since they were first introduced in the 1980s. The first treatment regimen used was interferon alfa alone. Therapy has been continually improved, to the point that in clinical trials of approved products, combination treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin has produced sustained responses in more than half of the patients treated. Announcer: As is shown on this chart, (bring up 12% bar for interferon monotherapy) interferon alfa alone was the first treatment used in patients with hepatitis C infection, producing a sustained viral response rate of 12 percent. (fade out 12% bar) In a clinical study using pegylated interferon alfa-2b combined with ribavirin (fade in 52% bar) produced sustained viral responses in 52 percent of patients. Announcer: Definition: Sustained viral response (SVR) means the inability to detect genetic material from the hepatitis C virus for at least 24 weeks after hepatitis C therapy is completed. A very sensitive gene-based blood test, called a PCR (polymerase chain reaction), is used for this purpose.