Australia has begun recruiting inmates to take part in a first-of-its-kind study that will evaluate the efficacy of a new one-pill-per-day treatment for the hepatitis C virus (HCV), Medical Xpress reports.

The SToP-C study (Surveillance and Treatment of Prisoners with hepatitis C) will investigate whether a “treatment as prevention” policy for hep C will actually help reduce new infections among its inmate population. About 30 percent of all prisoners in Australia have HCV.

Health officials involved with the study are seeking out consenting prisoners to participate by taking Gilead Science’s new once-a day-tablet, which combines Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) with the drug ledipasvir for a 12-week course of treatment.

This new combo pill is not available in the United States, though the Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide whether to approve the treatment by October 10.

The Australian study will likely take five years to complete, will recruit more than 1,000 inmates and will be implemented in steps at both maximum- and medium-security facilities.