Understanding the hepatitis C virus life cycle paves the way for highly effective therapies. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • More than two decades of intense research has provided a detailed understanding of hepatitis C virus (HCV), which chronically infects 2% of the world's population. This effort has paved the way for the development of antiviral compounds to spare patients from life-threatening liver disease. An exciting new era in HCV therapy dawned with the recent approval of two viral protease inhibitors, used in combination with pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin; however, this is just the beginning. Multiple classes of antivirals with distinct targets promise highly efficient combinations, and interferon-free regimens with short treatment duration and fewer side effects are the future of HCV therapy. Ongoing and future trials will determine the best antiviral combinations and whether the current seemingly rich pipeline is sufficient for successful treatment of all patients in the face of major challenges, such as HCV diversity, viral resistance, the influence of host genetics, advanced liver disease and other co-morbidities.

publication date

  • July 1, 2013

Research

keywords

  • Hepacivirus
  • Hepatitis C

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC3984536

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 84880309916

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1038/nm.3248

PubMed ID

  • 23836234

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 19

issue

  • 7