New therapies in the management of hepatitis C virus

Purpose of review The present review discusses recent developments in drug discovery for hepatitis C. We are on the verge of a new era with the introduction of direct acting oral agents that will transform the treatment landscape. Both healthcare providers and patients need to stay abreast of these changes that will influence decisions to treat. This article will discuss the most promising up-to-date hepatitis C virus antiviral therapies in clinical investigation as well as the associated clinical trial results. Recent findings First generation protease inhibitors will offer higher sustained viral response rates for both naive (70-80%) and treatment-experienced (40-50%) populations when added to standard pegylated interferon and ribavirin. However, these dramatic gains will be partially offset by new challenges with viral resistance and increased adverse events. Summary There are currently a number of drugs under investigation that target the enzymes involved in hepatitis C virus replication. Year 2011 should bring the approval of the first generation of protease inhibitors that will offer higher cure rates for genotype 1 patients and open the door for the eventual testing of interferon-free regimens.