(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved AbbVie Inc’s drug to treat certain adults with chronic hepatitis C.

The drug, Mavyret, aims to treat hepatitis C genotypes 1 through 6 in previously untreated adults with or without mild cirrhosis, a type of liver disease, including patients with moderate to severe kidney disease and those on dialysis.

Mavyret is the only 8-week duration treatment approved for all hepatitis C genotypes, the FDA said. A standard treatment for hepatitis C has a duration of 12-weeks or more. bit.ly/2vxrKo3

Hepatitis C genotypes, or strains, are genetically distinct groups of the virus.

Hepatitis C is a viral disease that causes inflammation of the liver and can lead to diminished organ function or liver failure.

An estimated 2.7 million to 3.9 million people in the United States have chronic hepatitis C infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.