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All Oral Interferon-free Direct-acting Antivirals as Combination Therapies to Cure Hepatitis C

Imran Shahid1,2, Munjed M Ibrahim3

  • 1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Al-Abidiyah, Makkah, P.O Box. 13578, Postal code 21955, Saudi Arabia.

Current Molecular Medicine
|January 5, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) offer a breakthrough for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) treatment, achieving high cure rates. Interferon-free regimens are revolutionizing care and advancing global hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination goals.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection presents a significant global health challenge with historically poor treatment rates.
  • Traditional dual-therapy with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) demonstrated suboptimal treatment completion in real-world settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively review the evolution and efficacy of interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens for treating chronic hepatitis C (CHC).
  • To highlight the advancements in HCV therapeutics and their impact on achieving global HCV elimination targets.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies for hepatitis C virus (HCV).
  • Analysis of clinical efficacy, sustained virologic response (SVR) rates, resistance profiles, and adverse events associated with various DAA regimens.
  • Evaluation of the shift from interferon-based therapies to oral, interferon-free DAA treatment paradigms.

Main Results:

  • Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), including fixed-dose combinations, show high clinical efficacy across different HCV genotypes and patient populations.
  • Novel pan-genotypic anti-HCV regimens achieve very high sustained virologic response (SVR) rates with a high barrier to drug resistance.
  • Interferon-free DAAs exhibit a low frequency of adverse events and fewer drug-drug interactions compared to older therapies.

Conclusions:

  • Interferon-free DAAs have revolutionized hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment, shifting the paradigm towards highly effective oral therapies.
  • These advancements provide a strategic approach to reduce HCV-related morbidity and mortality, supporting global elimination efforts.
  • The development of novel DAA regimens is crucial for achieving the worldwide goal of HCV elimination in the near future.

Keywords:
DAA-failureHCV therapeuticsInterferon-free antiviralsNS5A inhibitorsNS5B inhibitorspan-genotypic regimensprotease inhibitors.

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