AbbVie has applied for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new formulation of its hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment Viekira Pak (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir; dasabuvir) that only needs to be taken once a day instead of the current twice. The application seeks the green light for people with genotype 1 of the virus.

A decision is expected by the second half of 2016.

“The majority of patients who receive Viekira will also require twice-daily ribavirin, so the regimen for most will still be a little more complex than one pill, once a day,” notes Blaire E. Burman, MD, a hepatologist at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. “That said, the regimen is still fairly straightforward and easy for patients to adhere to, even in its current formulation. I don’t see how this will change who we prescribe Viekira to, but perhaps how we present the therapeutic options to our patients.”