In draft recommendations published today healthcare guidance body NICE is asking Gilead Sciences for more information on its product sofosbuvir (Sovaldi), for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. It is spread by contact with infected blood, usually as a result of using contaminated needles for injecting drugs. The virus can cause inflammation of, and damage to the liver, preventing it from working properly.

Although 15 to 20% of people infected with the hepatitis C virus naturally clear their infections within 6 months, the remainder develop chronic hepatitis which can be life-long.

Figures from 2012 suggest that around 160,000 people are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus in the England. More than half of people with chronic hepatitis C do not know they are infected because often, they only have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all for a long period of time.

About 1 in 3 people infected with the hepatitis C virus will eventually develop liver cirrhosis, where normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue.

A small percentage of people with chronic hepatitis C and cirrhosis also develop liver cancer.

The aims of treatment are to clear the virus from the blood to prevent progression of liver disease, and to prevent the transmission of the hepatitis C virus. Sofosbuvir is an oral antiviral drug used to prevent hepatitis C viral replication in infected cells.

For more details, go to: http://www.nice.org.uk/newsroom/pressreleases/NICEOnDraftGuidanceForSofosbuvirSovaldiDrugHepatitisC.jsp