Antiviral therapy for treatment naïve patients with hepatitis C virus.
This article focuses on the most recent therapies for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who are naive to therapy. The primary end point for the treatment of naive HCV patients is viral eradication or a sustained virological response, which is defined as the absence of HCV in the serum, as detected by a sensitive polymerase chain reaction test, 24 weeks after stopping antiviral therapy. Recent data suggest that an SVR can be equated with a biochemical,virological, and histological response that is sustained for up to 5 years and is conceptually a cure of HCV in 90% of patients.
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Sangik
S
Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattack Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Afdhal
Nezam H
NH