About this guidance

NICE technology appraisal guidance is about the use of new and existing medicines and treatments in the NHS in England and Wales.

This is an extension of the guidance given in Hepatitis C - pegylated interferons, ribavirin and alfa interferon (NICE technology appraisal guidance 75).

NICE issued guidance on the use of interferon alfa, pegylated interferon alfa (peginterferon alfa) and ribavirin in the treatment of people with moderate to severe chronic hepatitis C in January 2004 (NICE technology appraisal guidance 75; TA75). The evidence in this appraisal relates to the extension of this treatment to people with mild chronic hepatitis C. For people with moderate or severe disease, the guidance in TA75 still stands.

This guidance and TA75 have been partially updated by 'Peginterferon alfa and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C' (NICE technology appraisal guidance 200) and 'Peginterferon alfa and ribavirin for treating chronic hepatitis C in children and young people' (NICE technology appraisal guidance 300).

We have produced a summary of this guidance for patients and carers. Tools to help you put the guidance into practice and information about the evidence it is based on are also available.

Your responsibility

This guidance represents the views of NICE and was arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. Healthcare professionals are expected to take it fully into account when exercising their clinical judgement. However, the guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer.

Implementation of this guidance is the responsibility of local commissioners and/or providers. Commissioners and providers are reminded that it is their responsibility to implement the guidance, in their local context, in light of their duties to avoid unlawful discrimination and to have regard to promoting equality of opportunity. Nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way which would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Copyright

© National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 2006. All rights reserved. NICE copyright material can be downloaded for private research and study, and may be reproduced for educational and not-for-profit purposes. No reproduction by or for commercial organisations, or for commercial purposes, is allowed without the written permission of NICE.