Future options for the management of hepatitis C

Current therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is believed to be based in part on the ability of interferons to directly inhibit intracellular HCV replication and prevent infection of uninfected hepatocytes, although the exact mechanisms by which this therapy exerts its effect remain unknown. There are several potential avenues open to development of new antiviral treatment strategies for HCV infection. These include extracellular neutralization of virus to prevent new infection, inhibition of viral entry and uncoating, impairment of intracellular replication by either inhibition of host or viral enzymes or by destruction of the viral genome, enhancement of the host immune response to HCV, or control of the hepatic inflammation that results in progressive liver injury. Although the potential of these therapeutic approaches have been demonstrated in vitro or have been used for the treatment of other infections, their use in man, and so their future and potential efficacy, require further investigation.