Abbott announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its RealTime polymerase chain reaction test for measuring the viral load of hepatitis C .

The Abbott RealTime HCV assay, developed for use on the Abbott m2000 system, is intended for use as an aid in the management of HCV-infected patients undergoing antiviral therapy.

The assay measures hepatitis C RNA levels at baseline and during treatment and can be used to predict sustained and non-sustained virological response to HCV therapy.