About Hepatitis C Virus
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). For some people, hepatitis C is a short-term illness (acute), but for 55%–85% of people who become infected with the virus it becomes a long-term (chronic) infection.1 Left untreated, chronic hepatitis C can cause serious health problems including liver disease, liver failure, liver cancer, and even death. Chronic hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver cancer and the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States.2
It is estimated that more than 2.4 million people – and as many as 4 million people – had hepatitis C from 2017-2020.3 Globally, it is estimated that 50 million people have chronic HCV infection, with approximately 1 million new infections occurring per year.1 In 2022, approximately 242,000 people died from hepatitis C, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer).1
Currently, there are no effective vaccines against HCV, but antiviral treatment can cure more than 95% of persons with the infection.1
In April 2020, the United States Centers for Disease Control issued new recommendations calling for universal HCV screening for adults. According to the CDC, all individuals 18 years of age and older should be tested for HCV at least once in their lifetime and pregnant women should be tested once during each pregnancy.4
For 55%–85% of people who become infected with the virus it becomes a long-term, chronic infection.
From 2017-2020, an estimated 2.4 million people in the United States were living with HCV.
Enanta’s Role in Curing More Than 1 Million People with HCV
Enanta discovered glecaprevir, the second of two protease inhibitors discovered and developed through its collaboration with AbbVie for the treatment of HCV infection. Glecaprevir is co-formulated as part of AbbVie’s leading brand of direct-acting antiviral, or DAA, combination treatment for HCV, which is marketed under the tradenames MAVYRET® (U.S.) and MAVIRET® (ex-U.S.) (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir). MAVYRET®/MAVIRET is the only 8-week cure for HCV.* In the U.S., MAVYRET® is approved to treat both acute and chronic HCV. Through a collaboration with AbbVie, an earlier protease inhibitor, paritaprevir, was also approved in fixed-dose combinations with other direct-acting antivirals for the treatment of selected genotypes of HCV under the trade names VIEKIRA PAK® (U.S.) and VIEKIRAX (ex-U.S.). Between the two treatments, more than one million people with HCV have been cured. AbbVie is responsible for all worldwide marketing and sales of the collaboration’s HCV treatment regimens, which now consist primarily of MAVYRET®/MAVIRET®.
*Cure means no hepatitis C virus found in the blood three months after treatment ends. Individual results may vary.
- World Health Organization Hepatitis C Fact Sheet
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Hepatitis C Basics
- Hall EW, Bradley H, Barker LK, Lewis K, Shealey J, Valverde E, Sullivan P, Gupta N, Hofmeister MG. Estimating hepatitis C prevalence in the United States, 2017-2020. Hepatology. 2024 May 13.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Recommendations for Hepatitis C Screening Among Adults — United States, 2020