New Therapies and Emerging Strategies to Combat Infection With the Hepatitis C Virus

摘要

Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a serious disease that causes debilitating inflammation of the liver. According to the World Health Organization (Geneva, Switzerland) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA), HCV affects nearly 2.7 million people in the U.S. and as many as 185 million worldwide. HCV infection leads to hepatic fibrosis and eventually cirrhosis in 10-20% of those infected. Therapy for chronic hepatitis C has advanced rapidly over the last 15 years. Current therapies are able to suppress viral replication, control disease progression, or achieve sustained virus elimination in a proportion of those infected. There are also significant challenges to the clinical management of this infection,which are imposed mainly by the virus capacity to develop resistance to the current antiviral drugs, suboptimal efficacy of these drugs, and the rigors of the treatment regimen. Interestingly, the three main genotypes of HCV (genotypes 1, 2, and 3) respond differently to treatment with the current drugs, fueling the need for refined treatment regimens and the search for newer therapeutic agents. This article describes the most effective current therapies for the treatment of HCV infection and provides an update of new drug candidates, particularly those in the latest stages of development. The information presented here was obtained from studies carried out by renowned scientists participating at the 7th International Symposium on Cytokines and Chemokines held September 8 and 9, 2005, in Ontario, Canada.