Emerging anti-HDV drugs and HBV cure strategies with anti-HDV activity

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a satellite RNA virus that requires the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its replication. HDV/HBV co-infection is often associated with a faster disease progression of chronic hepatitis in comparison to HBV mono-infection. Therefore, the development of novel antiviral therapies targeting HDV represents a high priority and an urgent medical need. In this review, we summarize the ongoing efforts to evaluate promising HDV-specific drugs, such as lonafarnib (LNF), pegylated interferon lambda (PEG-IFN-λ) and their use as a combination therapy. Furthermore, we review the most recent developments in the area of anti-HBV drugs with potential effects against HDV, including therapeutic agents targeting hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) expression, secretion and function. Finally, we consider the important insights that have emerged from the development of these potential antiviral strategies, as well as the intriguing questions that remain to be elucidated in this rapidly changing field.