Glossary

cholesterol – kind of lipid (blood fat).

median (average) – where the results are all arranged in numerical order and the middle of the range is taken as the (median) average. See mean.

What is an average.

Compassionate use programmes enable people with life-threatening, long-lasting or seriously disabling illnesses to use drugs that have not yet been authorised. This is usually only for drugs that are near to drug approval, especially for people who would be excluded from research studies.

This is similar to, and sometimes called, a named-patient programme.

Information on compassionate access in the EU.

retrovirus – a family of viruses that includes HIV.

pegylated interferon (PEG interferon) – treatment for hepatitis C, given in combination with ribavirin. Given as a onceweekly injection.