Once a person learns they have Hepatitis C the first thing that they want to know is how to cure Hep C.

Below are simple guidelines for the treatment of Hepatitis C. I have written these guidelines so they are easy to understand for anyone with Hep C.

If you wish for more detailed information on options for treating Hepatitis C then you are welcome to contact me directly or to join my Hepatitis C Support group on Facebook.

If you know the genotype of hepatitis C you are infected with, the following treatment guidelines will help. If you do not know the genotype of Hepatitis C you are infected with, please read the suggestions at the end of this page.


Hepatitis C Genotype 1 Treatment Options:

Hepatitis C Genotype 1 can be treated with 12 weeks of:

  1. Sofosbuvir + Ledipasvir (Harvoni)
  2. Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir
  3. Sofosbuvir + Velpatasvir (Epclusa)
  4. Glecaprevir + pibrentasvir (Mavyret)

In most situations, the Sofosbuvir based treatments will give a slightly higher cure rate, especially if the patient has cirrhosis of the liver or has failed previous treatment. For Genotype 1b Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir will give a slightly higher cure rate than Harvoni.

Hepatitis C Genotype 2 Treatment Options:

Hepatitis C Genotype 2 can be treated with 12 weeks of:

  1. Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir
  2. Sofosbuvir + Velpatasvir (Epclusa)
  3. Glecaprevir + pibrentasvir (Mavyret)

Hepatitis C Genotype 3 Treatment Options:

Whilst genotype 3 can be treated with 12 weeks treatment of the drug combinations listed below research has shown that longer treatment times will give higher cure rates for genotype 3. A 12 weeks treatment will give around a 92% cure rate lifting the treatment time will lift the cure rate with any of these Hep C medications:

  1. Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir
  2. Sofosbuvir + Velpatasvir (Epclusa)
  3. Glecaprevir + pibrentasvir (Mavyret)

Hepatitis C Genotype 4 Treatment Options:

Hepatitis C Genotype 4 can be treated with 12 weeks of:

  1. Sofosbuvir + Ledipasvir (Harvoni)
  2. Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir
  3. Sofosbuvir + Velpatasvir (Epclusa)
  4. Glecaprevir + pibrentasvir (Mavyret)

If you do not know the genotype of Hepatitis C

If you do not know the genotype of Hepatitis C you are infected with and cannot access the Hepatitis C genotype test you should use a “pan-genotype” treatment, which will cure all genotypes. Pan-genotype Hepatitis C treatments include:

  1. Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir
  2. Sofosbuvir + Velpatasvir (Epclusa)
  3. Glecaprevir + pibrentasvir (Mavyret)

When 12 weeks treatment for a Hepatitis C infection is not long enough.
Below are the circumstances when 12 weeks treatment for Hep C is not long enough.

  1. If you have cirrhosis of the liver or a high fibrosis level.
  2. If you have failed a previous Hep C treatment.
  3. If you have Hepatitis C genotype 3.

Greg’s blog is reprinted with permission, and the views are entirely his.