title: Optimizing the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis C.
abstract: Chronic hepatitis C is a major health concern. The current standard therapy is based on a combination of pegylated (PEG)-IFN-alpha and ribavirin (RBV). This treatment produces a sustained virological response (SVR) in approximately 55% of chronically infected patients. A number of virological factors (e.g., the hepatitis C virus [HCV] genotype and baseline titer of HCV RNA) may influence the treatment response. Indeed, the SVR rate is approximately 80% for patients infected with HCV genotypes 2 or 3, and approximately 45% for genotype 1 or 4 patients. Furthermore, the treatment duration can be modified as a function of the genotype. New drugs are being developed for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C but will probably be used in combination with the current standard therapy. This means that improvements in therapy based on a PEG-IFN-RBV combination will remain a true challenge in the coming years. Recent clinical trial results have demonstrated that the current therapy can be optimized. Modulation of the treatment duration and/or the RBV dose may increase the SVR rate. The present article reviews the current approaches to optimizing the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.
authors.affiliation: Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Laboratoire de Virologie, 3 Rue des Louvels, F-80000 Amiens, France. catherine.francois@u-picardie.fr
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: François
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castelain
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duverlie
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Capron
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nguyen-Khac
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a