Recent advances in the discovery of small molecule therapies for HCV

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading cause of chronic hepatitis in humans. This virus, first identified in the late-1980s, has been the target of aggressive efforts by the pharmaceutical industry to identify novel therapeutic agents. Current therapy requires the use of interferon-alpha in conjunction with ribavirin. Regrettably, the utility of this therapy is limited by both an unsuitable side effect profile and low efficacy. These shortcomings have maintained the pressure to identify more effective therapies. Several compounds that take advantage of different strategies for achieving an antiviral effect are currently in clinical trials. Several more classes of novel antiviral agents have been identified using a range of in vitro assays. The recently developed stable cell-based assay for HCV will be a highly useful tool in on-going discovery efforts.