Future Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C

Abstract

The current standard therapy for chronic hepatitis C is peginterferon plus ribavirin and yields a sustained virological response rate of approximately 50% overall. Over the past 2–3 years, many new therapeutic agents directed at a number of different viral targets have entered into development for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Many of these agents exhibit high levels of potency against the hepatitis C virus and have a rapid onset of activity. Some agents have been abandoned because of lack of efficacy or toxicity, but many others have shown promise and are undergoing further testing. Although debated, new therapies in the immediate future will most likely be used in combination with peginterferon, either alone or with ribavirin. This concise review is focused on new drugs undergoing development for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C, and on drugs that have shown efficacy in preliminary investigations and progressed to Phase II or III trials. This information should allow physicians involved in the care of patients with chronic hepatitis C to provide realistic expectations of what types of drugs are progressing in clinical development, the likelihood that new treatment will include peginterferon with or without ribavirin, and when these novel therapies might become available.