Newer Advances in the Management of Hepatitis C

HCV(hepatitis C virus) is single-stranded enveloped RNA virus. Chronic HCV infection is one of the leading causes of liver-related deaths in many countries.About 130-170 million peopleare estimated to be infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Main aim of antiviral treatment targets eradication of the virus. Until a few years ago,the combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PEG/RBV) was the only treatment strategy available and the rates of viral clearance response did not surpass 50% in certain genotypes (1 and 4) with these treatments. In 2011, the first direct acting antiviral agents (DAA), boceprevir and telaprevir were approved for treatment of genotype 1, in combination with traditional dual therapy which accomplished to increase the rates of sustained viral response (SVR) in both naive patients and in retreated patients. New, more effective DAAs have been incorporated since 2013. Besides increasing the rates of SVR, these have pan-genomic properties, excellent tolerance and ease of administration being oral drugs. This has led to shorter therapies, lesser toxicities and regimens free of PEG/RBV, which  has enabled their almost generalised applicability in all patients with minimal invasive investigations required.