Hepatitis is a common condition around the world that most-prominently causes the liver to swell. There are several risk factors for this condition, including alcohol and drug usage and several infections. However, the most-common cause is the five hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E, themselves. These viruses can be transmitted into the host via contaminated food and water, infected blood and semen (via sex), unsterilized medical equipment, such as needles and catheters, and in utero.
Mostly, the condition is acute and the symptoms mild, generally consisting of yellow skin, urine, and sclera (jaundice); fever, body ache, loss of appetite, and malaise. However, chronic hepatitis can lead to liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer; therefore, the awareness on catching the condition early and effectively treating it is rising. As per P&S Intelligence, due to such factors, the hepatitis drugs market value is predicted to increase sharply in the next few years.
Of all these types of viral hepatitis infections, the demand for drugs has been the highest for hepatitis C. This is because acute forms of all these diseases do not require treatment, and only the chronic forms do. Hepatitis A and E rarely transition into chronic conditions, whereas only 10–40% of the people with hepatitis B actually require hospitalization. Additionally, by treating hepatitis B, hepatitis D is also treated and its risk reduced, as the hep D virus cannot replicate inside the body without the hep B virus. Hep C, on the other hand, often transitions into a chronic condition, ultimately leading to cirrhosis liver cancer, and hepatic failure; therefore, the idea behind the treatment of hep C is always a complete cure.
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