title: Simeprevir for the treatment of hepatitis C and HIV/hepatitis C co-infection.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis in 170 million people worldwide and can progress to fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma, a disease process accelerated in HIV co-infection. Approximately 25% of HIV infected people are co-infected with HCV (worldwide prevalence 4-5 million) and up to 16.7% of deaths in this population are attributable to HCV co-infection. Previous treatment options for HCV were limited to pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV), a combination that demonstrated lower successful cure rates in genotype 1 HCV mono-infection and HIV/HCV co-infection, and is also associated with a considerable adverse side-effect profile. The development of directly acting antivirals (DAAs) offers the first class of drug to achieve good viral suppression in previously hard-to-treat patient groups. We review the benefits, tolerability and drug interactions with concomitant drugs of the DAA simeprevir for patients who have HCV mono-infection and hep C/HIV co-infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection and Immunology, Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BB.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crawford-Jones
authors.forename: Chloe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Orkin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D060085:Coinfection / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D015195:Drug Design; D004347:Drug Interactions; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006575:Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D000069616:Simeprevir; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006575:Heterocyclic Compounds, 3-Ring; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000069616:Simeprevir
keywords: HIV; NS3/4A protease inhibitors; co-infection; directly acting antivirals; hepatitis C; simeprevir