The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a breakthrough drug Friday to treat chronic hepatitis C virus infection . Sovaldi ( sofosbuvir ) is the first drug that has been shown to safely and effectively treat certain types of hepatitis C infection without a need for interferon , the FDA said . Hepatitis C is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the liver , which can lead to diminished liver function or liver failure . About 3.2 million Americans are infected with hepatitis C , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Sovaldi is the second drug that the FDA has approved in the past two weeks to treat chronic hepatitis C virus infection . Olysio ( simeprevir ) was approved on November 22 . Dr. John Ward , director of the Division of Viral Hepatitis at the CDC , in a statement called this a `` landmark advance in the treatment of hepatitis C , opening up new opportunities to stop the spread of this virus and the ravages of this disease . '' But new therapies only work if people actually receive treatment , he added . `` The potential of these and other treatment advances hinges entirely on our ability to get more people screened and into care , '' he said . `` Right now , most Americans with hepatitis C do n't access treatment because they have no idea they 're infected . '' Chronic hepatitis C infection can lead to long-term health problems and even death , according to the CDC . The virus is spread primarily when individuals have contact with the blood of someone who is infected . Sharing needles or equipment to inject drugs is how most people who become infected acquire the disease . The disease can also be spread through sexual contact , but the risk is believed to be low , according to the CDC . Sharing personal items such as razors or toothbrushes , which may have had contact with the blood of someone who is infected , is another less common risk . It may take several years for symptoms to become apparent to individuals infected with hepatitis C. Most people with the disease have no symptoms until liver damage becomes apparent . Symptoms may include fever , fatigue , loss of appetite , vomiting , nausea , abdominal pain , dark urine , clay-colored bowel movements , joint pain and jaundice , according to the CDC . The disease is the most common cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer , and the leading reason for liver transplantation in the country , according to the CDC . Hepatitis C causes about 15,000 deaths each year in the United States . The CDC urges all U.S. baby boomers , and others at risk , to get tested for hepatitis C. `` Widespread screening , together with new cures , promises to slash the burden of hepatitis C in this country and save thousands of lives , '' Ward said .
Sovaldi has been approved to treat chronic hepatitis C. About 3.2 million Americans are infected with the disease . The drug is made by Gilead Sciences and was developed in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).