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Sofosbuvir for treatment of chronic hepatitis C

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Abstract

Chronic hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. If untreated, chronic hepatitis C can progress to advanced liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma and death. Until recently, treatment of hepatitis C predominantly constituted an immunomodulatory agent, peg-interferon-alfa and ribavirin. In 2011, the first class of directly acting antiviral agents, HCV NS3/4A serine protease inhibitors, was added to peg-interferon-alfa and ribavirin with increased efficacy. In the past year, an NS5B inhibitor, sofosbuvir, has emerged as a potent agent with pangenotypic efficacy, resulting in the first interferon-free regimen for the treatment of hepatitis C. This review summarizes the data that resulted in regulatory approval of sofosbuvir and highlights the future of hepatitis C therapy with sofosbuvir as the backbone of a highly effective antiviral regimen.

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Acknowledgements

This study has been funded in whole with the federal funds from the intramural program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

Compliance with ethical requirements and Conflict of interest

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects. Sarah Kattakuzhy, Rachel Levy, and Shyam Kottilil declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Immunopathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bldg 10, Rm. 11N204, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Rachel Levy & Shyam Kottilil

  2. Division of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Sarah Kattakuzhy & Shyam Kottilil

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  1. Sarah Kattakuzhy
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  2. Rachel Levy
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Correspondence to Shyam Kottilil.

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Kattakuzhy, S., Levy, R. & Kottilil, S. Sofosbuvir for treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Hepatol Int 9, 161–173 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-014-9606-9

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