Treating
Hep C

Older Caucasian woman

There Are So Many Reasons to Get Treated

Today’s hepatitis C (Hep C) treatments generally have cure rates of 95% or higher, without the harsh side effects of previous medicines.

Even people who couldn’t cure their Hep C in the past may have success with treatment.

Hep C treatments work in different ways and are not all the same. Your Hep C Specialist will determine which treatment is right for you.

Cure means the Hep C virus is not detected in the blood when measured 3 months after treatment is completed.

Today’s Hep C Treatments

Cure rates generally
95% or higher
Some common side effects are headache and tiredness
12 weeks or less of treatment needed for most people
Taken orally—not an injection

Choosing the Right Treatment for You

There are several Hep C treatments that you and your healthcare provider can consider.

It’s important to understand their key differences, benefits, and risks, and choose one that fits your specific health profile and individual needs.

Your Hep C History

  • Tell your healthcare provider if you’ve been previously treated for Hep C, have cirrhosis of the liver, or have a liver transplant

  • Today’s Hep C treatments have different benefits and risks when it comes to you and your liver. Talk to your healthcare provider about available treatments, and discuss which one is right for you

Your Routine

  • Ask your healthcare provider about how treatment can impact your routine, such as food requirements, time you have to take your medicine, and frequency of blood tests and office visits

Your Other Medicines

  • Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take including birth control, antacids, and cholesterol treatments. Hep C treatment may affect how well other medicines work or cause additional side effects when combined

  • If you're already taking other medicines, you may want to know how many pills you'll have to take during Hep C treatment, so that you can manage your overall care plan. Ask your healthcare provider for details

The Steps to Being Cured:

01

Talk to Your Healthcare Provider:

02

Understand Treatment Options:

03

Find Out What Kind of Coverage You Have:

04

Begin Treatment:

05

Get Your Results:

Talk to Your Healthcare Provider:

Tell your healthcare provider that you want to treat your Hep C.

If they can’t treat you, ask to be referred to a Hep C Specialist, such as a gastroenterologist, hepatologist, or infectious disease expert.

You can also use this tool to find a Hep C Specialist near you:

FIND A HEP C SPECIALIST

Understand Treatment Options:

  • Your Hep C Specialist may run additional tests to learn more about your Hep C and how it’s affecting your liver

  • After you discuss the different treatment options, you and your Hep C Specialist will choose the right treatment for you

Find Out What Kind of Coverage You Have:

Hep C treatment is covered by most private health insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare plans.

Your Hep C Specialist will work with your insurance company to explore your coverage.

If you have any questions, call 1-844-9-HEPCHOPE (1-844-943-7246) to discuss what resources might be available to you.

SEE INSURANCE COVERAGE

Begin Treatment:

Once your treatment is approved by your insurance provider, it will most likely be filled through a specialty pharmacy, which typically sends medications directly to you or your Hep C Specialist instead of a local pharmacy.

During the course of treatment, your Hep C Specialist may check in with you to ensure the treatment is working as it should.

Get Your Results:

Three months after treatment is completed, your Hep C Specialist will run a blood test to ensure your viral load is undetectable.

If it is detectable, talk to your provider about options.

Working With a Hep C Specialist

Hear from real specialists about Hep C, Hep C cures, and why you shouldn’t wait to get treated.

  • View Transcript

      When most patients come in, they're afraid. They're afraid of what this diagnosis means, and it's our job to let them know that there is a cure. I'm Dr. Tony Martinez and I've been treating patients with hepatitis C for about 13 years now. Once a patient is diagnosed with hepatitis C, it's essential that they get linked to care, specifically with a hepatitis C Specialist. Now, that individual may be from infectious diseases, may be somebody from GI or hepatology, it may even be a primary care provider who's become a Hep C champion.

      My name is Dr. Catherine Frenette. I've been practicing hepatology for about 15 years now. The best part of my job is being able to see people every day, and to help them through some of the scariest times of their entire life.

      We really make the biggest connection that we can with each individual patient. The more that we are involved in their process, engaged in their lives, the better the outcomes are going to be.

      The liver is the coolest organ in the body. It functions as a factory, first of all; it makes different proteins that are necessary for us to live. Every organ in the body is affected if the liver isn't working well. Left untreated, hepatitis C can cause cirrhosis. It can cause liver cancer. You could need a liver transplant. You could even die from hepatitis C.

      How you got it isn't important to us. The fact that you're chronically infected, you now need to take the next step and engage in treatment to get cured.

      Hepatitis C treatment has changed drastically in the last five years. We now have what are called direct-acting antivirals. These are medicines that come in pill form, and they directly inhibit the virus from making more viruses.

      Hepatitis C is one of the few disease states in modern history where we've gone from discovery, in roughly 1990, to cure in a 25-year period.

      This is not like interferon treatment. This is not like the old treatments that we used to have. This is a completely different world.

      Short treatment regimens, sometimes as few as 8 weeks, in the majority of cases 12 weeks, and very high cure rates.

      We're curing, you know, over 9 out of 10 people. 95% of people. It's really amazing.

      The paradigm has changed completely. Now, day by day, we're curing multiple patients. They can leave this piece of them behind.

      This virus can really affect your life if you don't take care of it. But it's so easy to treat now. My job is to help you through this. And we will get through this.

      You know, a lot of times in medicine, you can't fix things. In this circumstance, you can fix something.

      There's really no reason, in this day and age, that you shouldn't see a specialist and be treated immediately.

My Cure Story

Hear from three people who share their experience of getting cured of Hep C.

  • View Transcript

      One afternoon, my phone rang, and my doctor was very happy to report that I no longer had hepatitis C virus in my bloodstream. She was as happy, I think, as I was.

      It was a moment of speechlessness. Needless to say, I slept real well that night, I slept real well that night.

      Being cured of Hep C? My greatest emotion? Gratitude. I feel like I can live my life like I did before I heard that I had Hep C.

      Sounds cliche, but it's like having the weight of the world…(lifted gesture)

      It's a feeling of elation to have that burden removed. It's a feeling of joy unspeakable.

      It is absolutely worth it to get cured of Hep C.

      You need to check with your doctor. You need to see what treatment is available for you that will help you.

      I'm looking forward to doing some more ballroom dancing.

      Definitely looking forward to retiring in the next year and a half.

      The biggest part of my life right now has got to be my family, my granddaughters. That's, that's what brings me the most joy.

      Don't feel ashamed.

      You do not have to feel the way you're feeling. I'll tell anybody from the rooftop, that there is a cure for hepatitis C.

Finding a Hep C Specialist

Hep C treatments can be prescribed by many different Hep C Specialists, including gastroenterologists, general practitioners, nurse practitioners, and addiction medicine specialists.

To find a Hep C Specialist near you, enter your city and state or ZIP code.


Please enter Zip Code or Specialist Last Name.

Please enter your NPI number to update your profile.

Verify

The NPI number entered does not match our records for this specialist.

Success

You may now update your profile. Click below to use our online form.

Update profile

Your email has been sent.

Email address is required.

Sort by:

|

| Print

Your email has been sent.

Email address is required.

,   

Directions

Specialty


Insurance Accepted


Gender


Languages


Additional language information not
available. Please contact the office.

Years in Practice


Hospital Affiliations


Other office locations


Is your profile incorrect?
Click here to update your profile.

Terms and Conditions

Gilead Sciences is providing this information to help patients find Hep C Specialists so that patients can determine who is the best fit for them.

No fees have been received or paid by healthcare providers for participation in this locator service. Inclusion of a healthcare provider in this directory does not represent an endorsement by or a recommendation from Gilead Sciences, nor does it reflect an endorsement by the provider of Gilead Sciences or Gilead Sciences products.

You are ultimately responsible for the selection of a healthcare provider, and it is an important decision that you should consider carefully. This Hep C Specialist locator tool is just one source of information available to you. All healthcare provider information is self-reported or provided by a publicly available third-party source.

Hep C Treatment and Insurance

Think you can’t afford to get treated? Hep C treatments are covered by most private health insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare plans.

Your Hep C Specialist will work with your insurance company to identify your coverage and possible financial support options.

If you don’t have insurance, there are also resources available to help. Call 1-844-9-HEPCHOPE (1-844-943-7246) to discuss what resources might be available to you.

TREATING HEP C AND RECOVERY

Gastroenterologist: A doctor who specializes in diseases of the digestive system. The digestive system includes the stomach, intestines, and other organs, including the liver. Since Hep C can cause liver damage, people with Hep C are often treated by gastroenterologists.

Viral Load: The amount of the Hep C virus found in your blood. Your viral load is measured with a simple blood test that is also known as the HCV-RNA test.

You Are Leaving HepCHope.com

You will be directed to a product website to learn more about a treatment option for Hep C.

If you would like to continue to the site, select “OK.” If you do not wish to leave this site, select “Cancel.”

You Are Leaving HepCHope.com

By following this link, you are leaving this Gilead property.

Gilead provides these links as a convenience.

Gilead is not responsible for the content of these external sites or how you use them.

If you would like to continue to the site, select “OK.” If you do not wish to leave this site, select “Cancel.”

Cancel Ok