BioScience Trends
Online ISSN : 1881-7823
Print ISSN : 1881-7815
ISSN-L : 1881-7815
Reviews
Research progress on the direct antiviral drugs for hepatitis C virus
Jianjun GaoChuanxia Ju
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2017 Volume 11 Issue 1 Pages 41-45

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Abstract

Hepatitis C, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation, is a severe threat to human health. Pegylated interferon α (INF-α) and ribavirin based therapy was once the standard therapy for HCV infection. However, it is suboptimal in efficacy and poorly tolerated in some patients. In the last five years, four classes of direct antiviral drugs (NAAs) that target non-structural proteins (NS) of the virus including NS3/NS4A, NS5A, and NS5B have been developed and opened a new era in HCV treatment as they are more effective and tolerable than the INF-α and ribavirin combination regimen. Importantly, the newly introduced multiple NAAs combination therapy makes it possible to eradicate all genotypes of HCV. We review recent progress on the research and development of DAAs in the present article.

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© 2017 International Research and Cooperation Association for Bio & Socio-Sciences Advancement
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