Published online Oct 8, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i22.2363
Peer-review started: May 28, 2015
First decision: July 27, 2015
Revised: August 14, 2015
Accepted: September 16, 2015
Article in press: September 18, 2015
Published online: October 8, 2015
Processing time: 128 Days and 4.1 Hours
The year 2014 marked the beginning of the end of the interferon era and the triumph of the all-oral interferon-free regimens for treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. These innovative therapies are safe and yield a cure rate of over 90%. The scientific hepatology community is euphoric about the possibility of elimination and even eradication of HCV infection. However, the current high cost of the new all-oral regimens allows access to treatment only for a restricted number of HCV-infected patients. In addition, many other conditions such as modality of access and delivery of care, inadequate knowledge of HCV epidemiology and political commitments to be undertaken, hamper the fulfillment of the dream to eliminate the virus. Since, such conditions are not impossible to overcome, a global urgent effort must be made to allow a widespread access to the new treatments which will permit in the next years to avoid million of HCV-related deaths.
Core tip: It is begun the era of all-oral direct-acting antiviral drugs for hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment allowing interferon-free therapeutic regimens. These regimens are safe and yield cure rate greater than 90%. The therapeutic success has posed the basis for HCV elimination, although, confirmation are waiting from real world. However, many conditions hinder the fulfillment of the dream. These conditions are the excessive cost of drugs, the access and delivery of care, the epidemiology of HCV and the political commitments. Thus, an urgent effort must be done to make accessible on large-scale all-oral anti-HCV therapies allowing saving millions of lives.