[Direct antiviral treatment strategies in chronic hepatitis C].
The standard antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C is pegylated                     interferon-alfa (PegIFN) and ribavirin since about 10 years. This treatment                     regimen leads to a sustained virological response (SVR) in 40-50 % of patients                     infected with HCV genotype 1 and in approx. 80 % of those infected with HCV                     genotype 2 or 3.  In recent years, many direct antiviral agents (DAA) have been                     developed and are being explored in clinical studies. These antiviral agents                     target different viral proteins that are central for HCV replication, incl. the                     NS3/4A protease, NS5B polymerase, and the NS5A protein. The protease inhibitors                     telaprevir and boceprevir have recently been approved for the treatment of                     chronic HCV genotype 1 infection in combination with PegIFN and ribavirin. These                     triple therapies increase the SVR rates in HCV genotype 1 patients from 40-50 %                     to approx. 70 %. Other DAAs will likely be approved in the near future and may                     result in an IFN-free antiviral therapy.
Abteilung Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg.
C
C
Neumann-Haefelin
H E
HE
Blum
R
R
Thimme
D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D012254:Ribavirin