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HCV Response-Guided Therapy: Should Treatment Length Be Shortened or Extended?

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Abstract

The treatment of chronic HCV has traditionally been for a fixed duration based on genotype. We now recognize that patients respond to treatment along different time lines. This appears to be secondary to various clinical, histologic, and genetic host factors. The time that it requires for a patient to become HCV RNA undetectable after initiating treatment is now recognized as one of the most important determinants of sustained virologic response. This information can be used to adjust the duration of peginterferon and ribavirin, either shorter or longer, and allows therapy to be tailored to the specific needs of each patient. This concept is referred to as response-guided therapy.

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Conflicts of interest

M. Shiffman—consultancies for Hoffman LaRoche, Human Genome Sciences, and Exalenz; grants from Conatus, Genentech, Zymogenetics, Globeimmune, Gilead, Vertex, Tibotec, Romark, Biolex, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Idenix, and Valeant; honoraria from Genentech, Merck, Zymogenetics, Gilead, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Novartis; speakers’ bureaus payments from Genentech, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Gilead; expense reimbursement from Romark, Genentech, and Merck; data safety monitoring boards for HCV products for Abbott and Anadys.

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Correspondence to Mitchell L. Shiffman.

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Shiffman, M.L. HCV Response-Guided Therapy: Should Treatment Length Be Shortened or Extended?. Curr Hepatitis Rep 10, 4–10 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11901-010-0077-8

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