Antiviral resistance and specifically targeted therapy for HCV

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J Viral Hepat. 2009 Jun;16(6):377-87.

Antiviral resistance and specifically targeted therapy for HCV (STAT-C).

AJ, McHutchison JG.

Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Duke Clinical Research Institute,

Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.

As health care providers, we find ourselves on the verge of a new era in the

treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A number of directly

acting antiviral agents are now in the latter stages of clinical development.

The more promising candidates include direct inhibitors of the HCV nonstructural

3 protease, as well as both nucleoside and non-nucleoside inhibitors of the NS5B

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Although these agents have demonstrated potent

antiviral effect, monotherapy has been complicated by rapid virological

breakthrough due to the selection of drug-resistant mutants. As for HIV and HBV,

combination therapy will therefore be necessary. This brief review summarizes

the current literature concerning resistance and directly acting antiviral

agents, and identifies key challenges facing this emerging field.

PMID: 19472445 [PubMed - in process]