Abstract
Chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of advanced liver disease worldwide. The virus successfully evades host immune detection and for many years has hampered efforts to find a safe, uncomplicated, and reliable oral antiviral therapy. Initially, interferon and ribavirin therapy was the treatment standard of care, but it offered limited performance across the wide spectrum of HCV disease and was fraught with excessive and often limiting side effects. Sofosbuvir (SOF) is a potent first-in-class nucleoside inhibitor that has recently been approved for treatment of HCV. The drug has low toxicity, a high resistance barrier, and minimal drug interactions with other HCV direct-acting antiviral agents such as protease inhibitors or anti-NS5A agents. SOF is safe and can be used across different viral genotypes, disease stages, and special patient groups, such as those coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus. When used in combination with ribavirin or another direct-acting antiviral agent, SOF has revolutionized the HCV treatment spectrum and set the stage for nearly universal HCV antiviral therapy. More so than any other anti-HCV drug developed to date, SOF offers the widest applicability for all infected patients, and new regimens will be tailored to maximize performance.
Acknowledgments
Supported by a Merit Review grant from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA, USA (BX000159) and the Doriann Foundation for Hepatitis Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA (WNS).
Author contributions
Warren N Schmidt and Zeid Kayali both contributed to the study design, concepts, data management, manuscript draft, and revisions.
Disclosure
Zeid Kayali has received research grants and provided consultant services for Abbvie, Gilead, Merck, and Bristol Meyer Squibb. Warren N Schmidt has served as an advisor for Gilead and Merck.