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Mechanisms of drug resistance to current and future antiviral therapies for hepatitis C virus infection

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Abstract

The treatment of chronic hepatitis C is currently based on the pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin combination. Despite this treatment, a significant number of patients still fail to eradicate the virus. The mechanisms underlying this failure are unknown, but indirect evidence suggests that chronic infection is associated with phenomena that protect hepatitis C virus (HCV) from the antiviral action of interferon alpha and hinder the clearance of infected cells. Viral factors responsible for true "HCV resistance" probably play a partial role. Numerous new HCV drugs are currently at the developmental stage. It is foreseeable that specific HCV inhibitors will select resistant viral variants. As a result, combination therapy will probably become the standard of care in chronic hepatitis C.

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  1. Service de Virologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, 51 Avenue du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, 94010, Créteil, France

    Jean-Michel Pawlotsky MD, PhD

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  1. Jean-Michel Pawlotsky MD, PhD
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Pawlotsky, JM. Mechanisms of drug resistance to current and future antiviral therapies for hepatitis C virus infection. Curr hepatitis rep 3, 38–43 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11901-004-0007-8

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