Last week, Vertex released a press release showing it could reduce infection in patients who had not been helped by interferon therapy, including tough-to-treat patients drug companies often leave out of clinical trials.

FORBES

The therapy includes injections of the drug interferon, which stimulates the immune system and causes the bulk of the difficult side effects, and two antiviral drugs taken orally.

WSJ: Hepatitis C Dilemma: Treat Illness With Interferon Now or Wait?

Schering locked up the exclusive rights to ribavirin and sold it only in tandem with interferon, making it tough for rivals to match the therapy.

FORBES: The Next HIV?

Writing in the Lancet medical journal, researchers from The International Hepatitis Interventional Therapy Group report a new treatment for chronic HCV infection that uses a combination of interferon alpha-2b and a drug called ribavirin.

BBC: Better treatment for Hepatitis C