title: Treatment of chronic hepatitis C: anticipated impact of resistance in patients treated with protease inhibitors.
abstract: A main target of specifically targeted antiviral therapy for hepatitis C (STAT-C) is the NS3-protease, which has key functions in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication cycle. HCV/NS3-protease inhibitors have shown high antiviral activity in vitro and in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Protease-resistant HCV variants occurred rapidly in patients receiving protease-inhibitor monotherapy. The development of resistance can be best explained by selection of preexisting resistant variants, which grow out under selective pressure. Numerous mutations associated with resistance were identified. Clinical trials showed that protease-resistant strains are sensitive to interferon and that a triple combination of protease inhibitors, peginterferon, and ribavirin may improve the sustained virologic response rate compared with standard peginterferon/ribavirin combination therapy. Overall, it can be anticipated that successful treatment with protease inhibitors will require either combination therapy with peginterferon/ribavirin or a combination of STAT-C compounds with distinct modes of action and resistance patterns.
authors.affiliation: Zentrum der Inneren Medizin, Medizinische Klinik 1, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kronenberger
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zeuzem
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000235:genetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009154:Mutation / Q000187:drug effects; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010641:Phenotype; D011392:Proline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007372:Interferons; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011392:Proline; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D012254:Ribavirin; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C084422:NS3 protein, hepatitis C virus; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases; C486464:telaprevir; C512204:N-(3-amino-1-(cyclobutylmethyl)-2,3-dioxopropyl)-3-(2-((((1,1-dimethylethyl)amino)carbonyl)amino)-3,3-dimethyl-1-oxobutyl)-6,6-dimethyl-3-azabicyclo(3.1.0)hexan-2-carboxamide