A Randomized Trial of 24-Week Versus 48-Week Courses of Peginterferon Plus Ribavirin for Patients With Genotype 1 Hepatitis C and IL28B CC Polymorphism

Inclusion Criteria: * Age \> 18 years * Serum Hepatitis C RNA \> 10,000IU/mL * Hepatitis C virus genotype 1 * IL28B CC polymorphism Exclusion Criteria: * Previous treatment for chronic Hepatitis C * clinical or biological evidence of acute hepatitis, including serum ALT or AST \> 300U/ml * HIV antibody positive, hepatitis b surface antigen positive or known diagnosis of other chronic liver disease * Contraindications to PR-based treatment: * Uncontrolled psychiatric illness * Active substance dependency * Known autoimmune disorder * Untreated thyroid disease * Uncontrolled seizure disorder * Pregnancy, lactation or inability to maintain contraception * Chronic kidney disease w/ estimated GFR\< 60 * ANC\<1.5/nl, Hb\<12g/dl, or platelets\<75/nl * Clinical or biochemical evidence of decompensated liver disease including: * History of encephalopathy * Ascites * Variceal bleeding * Bilirubin \> 3g/dl or INR \> 1.5 * Life threatening disorder with expected median survival less than 5 years * Inability to comply with drug regimens or testing schedule required for study