Human drugs to treat hepatitis C cleared virus in chimpanzees: Japan study

Japanese researchers found that human drugs used to treat hepatitis C infections successfully eliminated the virus from chimpanzees, even those infected for more than four decades. The study, published in the July issue of the Journal of Medical Virology, examined eight chimpanzees intentionally infected with the virus for research purposes.

Six of the chimps showed no signs of the virus six months after receiving treatment, while two remained positive, possibly due to drug resistance. While the treatment improved liver function in the six chimpanzees with cleared virus, two of them unfortunately passed away from liver cancer, likely due to the long-standing infection. Researchers emphasize the importance of monitoring these chimpanzees for potential tumors.