Renewed 2015 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Hepatitis C by Korean Association for the Study of the Liver; What Has Been Changed? – Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 1

Abstract

The introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) has markedly improved the sustained virological response (SVR) rates in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Currently, four classes of DAAs targeting three HCV proteins (NS3, NS5A, and NS5B) have been approved for treatment in many countries. Since drugs show advantages and disadvantages, use of a combination of two or more DAAs with different targets or addition of ribavirin in a difficult-to-treat patient shows an SVR rate of ∼90% after 12 weeks of treatment or expanded treatment for 24 weeks. Various types of DAA are awaiting approval which will improve the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection. However, high costs, drug resistance and interactions between various drugs remain to be overcome. With further advances in the development of antiviral agents, it could be expected that in the near future, there will be DAAs that are affordable and cost effective, require shorter treatment duration, effective in a broad range of patients, and have less side effects and drug-drug interactions. (Korean J Gastroenterol 2016;67:127-131)

Keywords

• Chronic hepatitis C
• Treatment
• Genotype 1