Hepatitis C is a common condition affecting approximately 170 million patient's worldwide. The World Health Organization estimates that 8.9 million people in the European region are infected with Hepatitis C. Untreated chronic hepatitis C infection may result in cirrhosis (20-25%), end-stage liveer disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (1-4%).

Hepatitis C is the cause of about one half of all cases of primary liver cancer in the developed world. Patients with HCV infection also have a higher prevalence of psychiatric illnes than the general population, and individuals with psychiatric illness and drug dependence have higher rates of HCV infection than the general population.