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Genotype 2 Patients: What is the Optimum Therapy so Far?

  • Hepatitis C (M Bourlière and T Asselah, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Since optimization studies with Peginterferon (PegIFN) and Ribavirin (Rbv), antiviral treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 patients consisted in a 24-week course of dual therapy, resulting in 80–85 % sustained virological response (SVR) rates. PegIFN/Rbv combination was effective in most patients; however, it was burdened by side effects and was suboptimal in difficult-to-treat subgroups, like advanced fibrosis stages. Despite the attempts of treatment individualization according to baseline and on-treatment predictors to increase efficacy and tolerability, many patients had no access to treatment due to comorbidities contraindicating PegIFN administration. In this scenario, the development of new drugs directly targeting HCV replication cycle opened the way to IFN-free combination regimens that could not only increase efficacy but also, most of all, reduce side effects and expand treatment access. This review is focused on new treatment options in HCV-2 patients, from phase III studies to real-life data.

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Acknowledgments

Alessio Aghemo declares Grant research support from Gilead Sciences, Service on Advisory committees for Gilead, MSD, Jannsen, Abbvie, BMS and Speaker Bureau for Gilead, MSD, Jannsen, Abbvie, BMS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro A.M. e A. Migliavacca, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy

    Elisabetta Degasperi & Alessio Aghemo

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  1. Elisabetta Degasperi
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  2. Alessio Aghemo
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Correspondence to Alessio Aghemo.

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Elisabetta Degasperi declares no conflict of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Hepatitis C

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Degasperi, E., Aghemo, A. Genotype 2 Patients: What is the Optimum Therapy so Far?. Curr Hepatology Rep 14, 253–259 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11901-015-0283-5

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