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Therapy

Reaching for the stars — effective HCV drugs for all?

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 13, page 1 (2016)Cite this article

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A combination pill of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir is effective across different HCV genotypes and in different patient populations with hepatitis C, including those with compensated or decompensated cirrhosis. Reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, the findings by the ASTRAL-1, 2, 3 and 4 investigators point towards effective HCV treatment with broad coverage across a variety of patient groups.

HCV infection is a major public health problem worldwide. HCV treatment has been revolutionized by the new all-oral, interferon-free regimens developed in the past few years. However, despite this progress, clinical decision-making during the management of patients infected with HCV is difficult owing to the multitude of new drug regimens available and because patient and disease characteristics can vary widely (such as HCV genotype, treatment history and stage of fibrosis or cirrhosis), which can affect efficacy.

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References

  1. Feld, J. J. et al. Sofosbuvir and velpatasvir for HCV genotype 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 infection. N. Engl. J. Med. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1512610

  2. Foster, G. R. et al. Sofosbuvir and velpatasvir for HCV genotype 2 and 3 infection. N. Engl. J. Med. http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1512612

  3. Curry, M. P. et al. Sofosbuvir and velpatasvir for HCV in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. N. Engl. J. Med. http://dx.doi.org/10/1056/NEJMoa1512614

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  1. Katrina Ray
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Ray, K. Reaching for the stars — effective HCV drugs for all?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 13, 1 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2015.203

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2015.203

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