The info in Dr. Melissa Palmer's book, Hepatitis & Liver Disease, states that Type 1 can be more difficult to treat, and specifically patients with 1b "were less likely to have a long-lasting response to treatment." Also, "people with genotype 1b have a disproportionately more severe and aggressive course of disease." People with "1b have been shown to develop cirrhosis and liver cancer more quickly and in a greater percentage of cases than other genotypes." But she also states, "other studies have concluded that there is insufficient proof of a relationship between genotype and the outcome of the disease."
So it would seem that 1b doesn't respond as well to treatment as 1a. However, I've been told that type 1 is the most difficult to treat, in general, but that most of the cases in the USA are type 1.
Hope this helps a little.