TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lange, Christian
A1  - Zeuzem, Stefan
T1  - Perspectives and challenges of interferon-free therapy for chronic hepatitis C
T2  - Journal of Hepatology
N2  - Recent data have clearly shown that a sustained virologic response can be achieved in different HCV infected patient populations with various interferon-free treatment regimens. Despite the successful implementation of telaprevir- and boceprevir-based triple therapies, all-oral regimens will certainly become a first choice for a number of HCV-infected patients in the very near future, as triple therapy approaches are burdened with significant side-effects and limited success in patients with advanced liver fibrosis and prior null-response to pegylated interferon-α (pegIFN-α)/ribavirin therapy. However, available data from phase I and II clinical trials evaluating interferon-free regimens have not yet revealed a clearly outstanding all-oral combination, and numerous challenges remain to be addressed by intensive ongoing and future research. In particular, thus far evaluated all-oral regimens did not cure a satisfactory percentage of patients with unfavorable baseline characteristics, namely patients infected with HCV genotype 1a, previous null-response to pegIFN-α/ribavirin, or liver cirrhosis. In this review, we summarize available data of interferon-free regimens for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C and assess implications for perspectives and challenges in the further development of all-oral therapies.
KW  - Hepatitis C virus
KW  - Antiviral therapy
KW  - Directly acting antiviral agent
KW  - All-oral therapy
KW  - Null responder
Y1  - 2012
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/76871
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-768717
SN  - 0168-8278
VL  - 58.2013
IS  - 3
SP  - 583
EP  - 592
PB  - Elsevier
CY  - Amsterdam
ER  -