Telaprevir: hope on the horizon, getting closer

Standard therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C is effective in 40% to 50% of individuals with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and is associated with significant treatment-related toxicities. Newly developed small molecules that target key enzymes essential for HCV replication are in development. Telaprevir, a peptidomimetic inhibitor of the HCV NS3/4A protease, has shown great promise in early trials and is currently in advanced stages of clinical development. In treatment-naïve patients and those with previous treatment failure, the addition of telaprevir to standard interferon and ribavirin therapy is well tolerated and enhances rates of sustained virologic response while shortening the treatment duration. In this report, the current experience using telaprevir to treat chronic HCV infection as monotherapy and in combination with other agents is reviewed.