title: Emerging drugs for hepatitis C.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a global health threat with approximately 200 million carriers worldwide. Current treatment consists of the use of peginterferon (pegIFN)/ribavirin (RBV) for 24 or 48 weeks depending on HCV genotype. Serious side effects and the fact that less than half of patients infected with HCV genotypes 1 and 4 (which are the most common) accomplish sustained virological response with this medication warrant the need for novel anti-HCV therapies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Description of specifically targeted antiviral therapies for hepatitis C (STAT-C) designed to inhibit the serine protease and the RNA-dependent HCV-RNA polymerase.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of available data reported in peer-reviewed journals and medical conferences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early preclinical studies using these compounds produced encouraging results, but the initial enthusiasm has been hampered by toxicity issues and rapid selection of resistance. Therefore, combination therapy with a backbone of pegIFN/RBV, or perhaps in the future using several of these small molecules, preferably having distinct modes of action and resistance profiles, will be required.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Carlos III, Department of Infectious Diseases, Calle Sinesio Delgado 10, Madrid 28029, Spain. vsoriano@dragonet.es
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soriano
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Madejon
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vispo
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Labarga
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garcia-Samaniego
authors.forename: Luz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martin-Carbonero
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sheldon
authors.forename: Marcelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bottecchia
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tuma
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barreiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015507:Drugs, Investigational