The critical role of medication adherence in the success of boceprevir and telaprevir in clinical practice

The excitement about the new standard of care for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is warranted given the dramatically increased rates of sustained virologic response achieved with the addition of boceprevir or telaprevir to pegylated interferon and ribavirin in clinical trials. However, the success of these two new direct antiviral agents (DAAs) in the real world will depend on the ability of patients to adhere to them. Higher rates of psychiatric and substance use disorders and cognitive impairment in persons with chronic HCV, as compared to the general population, place them at risk for medication nonadherence.