Abbott has introduced the first FDA-approved hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotyping test for patients in the United States. The fully automated RealTime HCV Genotype II test determines the specific type or strain (genotype) of the HCV virus present in the blood of an HCV-infected individual. Genotyping the HCV virus provides physicians with important information they can use to create a personalized, targeted diagnosis and treatment path to improve clinical outcomes.
“Hepatitis C is known as the silent killer as many of the symptoms go unnoticed. When patients are identified, determining their specific genotype is important to ensuring they receive the treatment that will prove to be most effective. The introduction of this test for broad use in the U.S. is a significant advancement in helping to address an important public health issue,” says HIV and viral hepatitis expert Carol Brosgart, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Global Health, University of California San Francisco.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 75% of adults with hepatitis C are baby boomers (born between 1945 and 1965), and most of them don’t know they are infected. In 2012, the CDC recommended that all baby boomers talk to their doctor and get a one-time test for HCV. Once a patient is diagnosed with HCV, a doctor would order a hepatitis C genotype test. The Abbott RealTime HCV Genotype II test is run on the fully automated m2000 platform. Read more product information.
