Advances in Hepatitis C Treatment: At the Crossroads

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious public health problem. Globally, over 170 million persons are infected and suffer from HCV infection, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV infection is among the leading causes of death in the United States. Recently, there have been newer, direct-acting antiviral agents approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of HCV for genotypes 1-4. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy, pharmacologic properties, and safety profiles from clinical trials and the costs associated with the new antiviral regimens, including sofosbuvir, simeprevir, and ledipasvir/sofosbuvir.