Liver disease was in existence for a long time. One form is Hepatitis A - which is primarily transmitted through faecal-oral route - contaminated food, water, oral-anal sex. Hep A virus (HAV) can be mild to severe but does not cause chronic liver disease. Usually one who recovers has lifelong immunity. HAV vaccine is available.
Another form of Hepatitis that was borne through blood and body fluids was identified in 1967, and was named Hepatitis B virus (HBV). It was Dr. Baruch Blumberg who discovered it. He and his colleagues discovered the virus in 1967, developed the blood test that is used to detect the virus, and invented the first hepatitis B vaccine in 1969.
In 1976, Dr. Blumberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine. He passed away in 2011.
Harvey Alter was also doing research work at this time and he observed that there is another form of hepatitis that is Not A or Not B. He proved that the blood from those infected can infect chimps. He suggested this is another virus, but could not propagate it in a cell culture.
The next development stage was done by Michael Houghton who did a tremendous lab work and identfied a (+) strand RNA genome of a new member of the Flaviviridae. This virus was named hepatitis C virus. (HCV). It was primarily his work that led to a diagnostic reagent to detect HCV.
Even after having cloned the viral genome, no one was able to recover infectious virus from cells yet. It was then Charles Rice and colleagues who addressed this problem. They produced multiple DNA clones of the viral genomes and a consensus genome was constructed. RNA transcripts were then injected to Chimps who went onto develop Hep C.
So it was the combined work of these three scientists that led to the identification of Hepatitis C. - and they deserve the Nobel prize to be shared.
But at the same time, one should not forget another researcher. It was Dr Takaji Wakita ( Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, Tokyo ) who was the first to produce the infectious hepatitis C virus in tissue culture from a cloned viral genome in 2005. Till then detailed analyses of HCV have been hampered by the lack of viral culture systems and this was the final great step and discovery needed to develop the antiviral drugs to inhibit reproduction.
Today, patients treated with a mixture of two or three antiviral drugs can have their hepatitis C cured within months. These are known as direct-acting antivirals (or DAAs) are very effective. You will need to take 1 to 3 tablets for 8 to 12 weeks.
There are several, I will just name a couple of them Epclusa, Maviret which contain a mixture of two. There are drugs that are mixtures of 3 if these fail.
Note - There is no vaccine for HCV yet.
