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World J Gastroenterol. Mar 21, 2014; 20(11): 2902-2912
Published online Mar 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i11.2902
Hepatitis C virus NS5A inhibitors and drug resistance mutations
Shingo Nakamoto, Tatsuo Kanda, Shuang Wu, Hiroshi Shirasawa, Osamu Yokosuka
Shingo Nakamoto, Hiroshi Shirasawa, Department of Molecular Virology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8677, Japan
Shingo Nakamoto, Tatsuo Kanda, Shuang Wu, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8677, Japan
Author contributions: Nakamoto S, Kanda T, Wu S, Shirasawa H and Yokosuka O contributed to this paper.
Supported by Grants for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (to Nakamoto S, Kanda T); and grants from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan (to Yokosuka O)
Correspondence to: Tatsuo Kanda, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. kandat-cib@umin.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-43-2262086 Fax: +81-43-2262088
Received: September 24, 2013
Revised: October 23, 2013
Accepted: January 14, 2014
Published online: March 21, 2014
Processing time: 175 Days and 9.3 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A inhibitors such as daclatasvir and ledipasvir in combination with other direct-acting antiviral agents against other regions of HCV with or without peginterferon/ribavirin are becoming available for daily clinical practice. These inhibitors can induce resistance mutations more easily in HCV genotype 1a patients than in HCV genotype 1b patients. HCV NS5A inhibitors should be used in combination regimens potent enough to prevent the emergence of resistant mutants and attention should be paid to these mutants’ potential emergence.