New Hepatitis C Drug Treatments
The types of drugs available for treating chronic hepatitis C virus are undergoing a radical change. The genetic material of hepatitis C virus (its RNA) has been sequenced, and most of the virus' genes are now known. Some genes direct the manufacture of enzymes that are crucial to the production of new hepatitis C virus. Others are crucial for production of new hepatitis C virus, but their exact functions are unknown. Knowing the nature of the hepatitis C virus genetic material and its products, it has been possible to develop drugs that target portions of the genetic material or its products and prevent their actions. These drugs are referred to as direct acting anti-viral drugs. The newer drugs target systems that are unique to hepatitis C virus, in contrast to interferon and ribavirin that target systems that are important to everyday health as well as to production of new hepatitis C virus. This shift in focus of treatment to systems that are necessary for survival of the virus, but unimportant to patients results in fewer side effects. In addition, it turns out that the direct acting antiviral drugs are much more effective in eradicating hepatitis C virus - in upwards of 85% of patients - in even those patients who have had poor responses to interferon and ribavirin. There are also hints that treatment is likely to be shorter.
The first of these new, direct acting antiviral drugs - telaprevir (Incivek) and boceprevir (Victrelis)...


