A German study found that treating hep C with interferon alpha-2b soon after infection can prevent chronic liver disease. A whopping 42 of 43 patients on the interferon treatment showed no sign of hep C in their blood after only 24 weeks. This is a promising discovery, given that every year some 10,000 Americans die from hep C. Only two hitches: early detection and the $6,000 for a six-month regimen.