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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 28, 2016; 22(28): 6393-6401
Published online Jul 28, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i28.6393
Hepatitis C virus: Promising discoveries and new treatments
Juliana Cristina Santiago Bastos, Marina Aiello Padilla, Leonardo Cardia Caserta, Noelle Miotto, Aline Gonzalez Vigani, Clarice Weis Arns
Juliana Cristina Santiago Bastos, Marina Aiello Padilla, Leonardo Cardia Caserta, Clarice Weis Arns, Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, SP 13083-970, Brazil
Noelle Miotto, Aline Gonzalez Vigani, Internal Medicine Department, Infectious Diseases division, FCM-UNICAMP, Campinas, SP 13083-970, Brazil
Author contributions: Bastos JCS, Padilla MA, Caserta LC, Miotto N, Vigani AG and Arns CW analyzed the literature and wrote the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict of interest to report.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Juliana Cristina Santiago Bastos, MsC, Laboratory of Virology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP, P.O. Box: 6109, Campinas, SP 13083-970, Brazil. jusantiago_farmacia@yahoo.com.br
Telephone: +55-19-35216258 Fax: +55-19-35216185
Received: March 25, 2016
Peer-review started: March 27, 2016
First decision: May 12, 2016
Revised: June 7, 2016
Accepted: June 15, 2016
Article in press: June 15, 2016
Published online: July 28, 2016
Processing time: 119 Days and 6.9 Hours
Abstract

Despite advances in therapy, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains an important global health issue. It is estimated that a significant part of the world population is chronically infected with the virus, and many of those affected may develop cirrhosis or liver cancer. The virus shows considerable variability, a characteristic that directly interferes with disease treatment. The response to treatment varies according to HCV genotype and subtype. The continuous generation of variants (quasispecies) allows the virus to escape control by antivirals. Historically, the combination of ribavirin and interferon therapy has represented the only treatment option for the disease. Currently, several new treatment options are emerging and are available to a large part of the affected population. In addition, the search for new substances with antiviral activity against HCV continues, promising future improvements in treatment. Researchers should consider the mutation capacity of the virus and the other variables that affect treatment success.

Keywords: Hepatitis C infection; Hepatitis C virus; Treatments; Antiviral research

Core tip: In recent years, new treatments for hepatitis C have been approved and represent a major advancement in this field. However, there are limitations that should be considered, and research for new treatments must continue. The objective of this review is to demonstrate the breakthroughs that have occurred and to discuss future developments.