Ira M. Jacobson, MD, John G. McHutchison, MD, and Mark Sulkowski, MD
Volume 3, Issue 12 , Supplement 34
The morbidity and mortality associated with chronic hepatitis C infection has been dramatically alleviated with the introduction of the current standard of therapy, pegylated interferon in combination with ribavirin. However, a significant number of infected patients do not respond adequately to treatment, or are unable to receive this therapy due to adverse effects. An increased understanding of the biology of the hepatitis C virus has helped to further the discovery and clinical development of a novel class of targeted antiviral agents with activity against hepatitis C–specific proteins. Recent studies have focused on the mutational resistance the hepatitis C virus displays against these new agents. The main strategy to overcome this resistance is combination therapy, a modality that has become the focus and future goal of therapy to achieve a sustained virologic response in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

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