Page 5 - The Flying Publisher Guide to Hepatitis C Treatment

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Preface

Affecting around 200 millions people worldwide, chronic
Hepatitis C is the leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer and
the first reason for liver transplants. The current standard
therapy for chronic HCV infection – combined pegylated
interferon and ribavirin – is successful in only 50% of the cases
and is associated with frequent and sometimes serious side
effects. Fortunately, there is huge potential to increase the
number of successfully treated patients if we take into account
pre-treatment and on-treatment host and virus characteristics
that may lead to therapy failure.
This Guide will discuss the available strategies for those who
interrupt, fail or relapse after treatment, in particular
– the benefits and risks of current therapeutic options
– the categories of patients with therapeutic failure that
should be re-treated
– the appropriate measures for therapy monitoring and
outcomes assessment
As a growing number of non-responders and relapsers are seen
in clinical practice there is a permanent search for new antiviral,
anticellular and immunomodulator drugs. Year 2011 has brought
the approval of the first generation of viral protease inhibitors
that will offer higher cure rates for non-responders and open the
door for the eventual testing of interferon-free regimens.

The Editors
June 2011