scholarly journals New Treatment Strategies against Hepatitis C Viral Infection

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 735-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Bilodeau ◽  
Daniel Lamarre
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Chronic Infection ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Pegylated Interferon ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus Infection ◽  
New Agents ◽  
The Past ◽  
New Treatment

Treatment of hepatitis C virus infection is currently based on a combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Because efficacy of this therapy remains suboptimal and side effects sometimes problematic, major efforts have been put forward by scientists and the pharmaceutical industry to develop alternative treatments for this chronic infection. Over the past few years, clinical studies performed with some of these new agents have been presented at major international meetings. The present paper aims to review the rationale underlying the development of these new forms of treatment as well as the current available data concerning their clinical efficacy.

New advances in the molecular biology of hepatitis C virus infection: towards the identification of new treatment targets

Gut ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 61 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. i25-i35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Ploss ◽  
Jean Dubuisson
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Pegylated Interferon ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus Infection ◽  
Liver Transplants ◽  
Hcv Therapy ◽  
B Virus ◽  
Severe Liver Disease ◽  
New Treatment

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes chronic infection in almost 2% of the world's population. If untreated, chronic carriers can develop severe liver disease including fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Until recently, hepatitis C was treated with a combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin, a treatment which was only partially effective and was plagued with side effects. In 2011 two inhibitors of the virally encoded NS3/4 protease have become part of standard therapy, which have improved treatment rates but can exacerbate the problematic side effects. While the addition of these first directly acting antivirals (DAAs) marks a milestone in anti-HCV therapy, new and improved combinations of drugs are desperately needed. New generations of drugs will have to address genetic variability of HCV and issues of viral resistance. Furthermore, combination therapies have to be tailored to effectively cure patient populations that have traditionally been hardest to treat, including patients with cirrhosis, those receiving liver transplants and individuals who are co-infected with HIV or hepatitis B virus. Since the discovery of HCV a plethora of experimental tools have been developed which enabled detailed analysis of various aspects of the viral life cycle and the interaction of HCV with its human host. Such studies have revealed a growing list of targets for therapeutic intervention, some of which will be discussed in this review.

scholarly journals Subcutaneous Sarcoidosis during Pegylated Interferon Alfa and Ribavirin Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Rodríguez-Lojo ◽  
M. Almagro ◽  
J. M. Barja ◽  
F. Piñeyro ◽  
L. Pérez-Varela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Hepatitis ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Pegylated Interferon ◽  
Interferon Alfa ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus Infection ◽  
Cutaneous Side Effects ◽  
Pegylated Interferon Alfa ◽  
Nodular Vasculitis

Interferon is used to treat hepatitis C virus infection and its cutaneous side effects are well known. Recently, interferon-induced sarcoidosis has been reported. We report a new case of sarcoidosis during pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin treatment with an unusual presentation in a woman with previous episodes of erythema nodusum and nodular vasculitis related to HCV.

Side-effects of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin therapy with or without protease inhibitor direct acting antiviral agents during treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection

2011 ◽  
Vol 152 (50) ◽  
pp. 1997-2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Béla Hunyady ◽  
Balázs Kovács ◽  
Zita Battyáni
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Virus Infection ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Protease Inhibitor ◽  
Standard Therapy ◽  
Pegylated Interferon ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus Infection ◽  
Direct Acting

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects 2–3% of the population, approximately 170 million people worldwide, causing chronic HCV-related hepatitis with subsequent liver cirrhosis, hepatic failure, hepatocellular cancer, and liver-related mortality in a large number of patients. The gold standard therapy, pegylated interferon alpha in combination with ribavirin can eradicate hepatitis C virus infection in approx. 40% of treatment-naïve patients infected with HCV genotype G1, and only 15–20% of patients with previous treatment. Success rate is substantially improved with the development and registration of two direct acting anti-hepatitis C virus protease inhibitors (boceprevir and telaprevir) in the second decade of 21st century: combined with the standard therapy, almost three quarter of previously untreated, and more than half of previously unsuccessfully treated patients can achieve sustained viral response with protease inhibitor based triple therapies. A major barrier to successful treatment is the association of peginterferon/ribavirin therapy with frequent and sometimes serious adverse effects. In clinical trials, approximately 10–15% of treated patients discontinue peginterferon and ribavirin due to adverse events; however, in routine clinical practice, the rate of treatment discontinuation has been reported to be substantially higher. The side effects of peginterferon/ribavirin therapy affect virtually all organ systems, and addition of protease inhibitor can amplify these side effects (particularly anemia), and/or may lead to new ones (i.e., dysgeusia with boceprevir or skin rush with telaprevir). There is considerable regional and global variability in the nature and prevalence of these adverse effects as well as in the best strategies to ameliorate their impact on hepatitis C virus treatment. This article summarizes the side effects of dual and triple therapies and their management based on the labels of the drugs, on a comprehensive literature review, as well as on the recently published opinion of an international panel of experts – with the provision of providing help for the physicians treating hepatitis C virus infection to achieve the best possible success with the highest possible safety for the patients. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 1997–2009.

scholarly journals Pleuro-Pulmonary Nocardiosis as Opportunistic Infection in a Patient with Chronic Hepatitis C under Combination Treatment with Pegylated Interferon, Ribavirin, and Boceprevir

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Csilla Putz-Bankuti ◽  
Harald H. Kessler ◽  
Thomas Valentin ◽  
Eva Leitner ◽  
Emina Talakic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Hepatitis ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Chronic Hepatitis C ◽  
Pulmonary Infection ◽  
Antiviral Treatment ◽  
Pegylated Interferon ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus Infection ◽  
Chronic Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Aerobic Actinomycetes

Nocardiosis is an infrequent but serious pulmonary infection caused by Gram-positive aerobic actinomycetes. In this paper, we report on a 48-year-old patient with pleuropulmonary nocardiosis and cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C virus infection treated with triple antiviral treatment complicated by prolonged neutropenia.

scholarly journals Quantification of Different Human Alpha Interferon Subtypes and Pegylated Interferon Activities by Measuring MxA Promoter Activation

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 3770-3775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine François ◽  
Isabelle Bernard ◽  
Sandrine Castelain ◽  
Bryan Charleston ◽  
Martin D. Fray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Virus Infection ◽  
Biological Samples ◽  
Pegylated Interferon ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus Infection ◽  
Promoter Activation ◽  
Antiviral Protein

ABSTRACT Alpha interferons (α-IFNs) are potent biologically active proteins synthesized and secreted by somatic cells during viral infection. Quantification of α-IFN concentrations in biological samples is used for diagnosis. More recently, recombinant IFNs have been used as antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory therapeutic agents, and particularly for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection. For this purpose, IFN has recently been coupled to polyethylene glycol (PEG) to improve the pharmacokinetic properties. The measure of α-IFN in biological samples from treated patients could be useful to ensure compliance to therapy and the true IFN activity in relation to viral decay during follow-up. In particular, it could be used to monitor the PEG-IFN concentration in patients treated for hepatitis C virus infection. The most frequently used test is a bioassay based on the antiviral property of the IFN, but the assay is not highly reproducible. Here, we present a reporter test based on MxA promoter activation of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase expression (Mx-CAT). MxA is an antiviral protein induced and tightly regulated by α-IFN. The Mx-CAT assay showed good reproducibility of 15% and was suitable to quantify PEG-IFN and numerous other α-IFN subtypes as well, despite a differential MxA promoter activation in relation with the subtype. A good correlation was obtained with the reporter assay and a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on samples from treated patients. This test could be useful for monitoring IFN therapy of chronically infected hepatitis C virus-infected patients treated with the standard IFN, PEG-IFN, and probably forthcoming recombinant IFNs.

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