Published online Jan 28, 2016. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v8.i3.183
Peer-review started: October 16, 2015
First decision: November 24, 2015
Revised: November 27, 2015
Accepted: January 5, 2016
Article in press: January 7, 2016
Published online: January 28, 2016
Processing time: 97 Days and 10.3 Hours
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious problem worldwide. The use of interferon-based therapy has made HCV eradication challenging. The recent appearance of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) has changed HCV therapy. Combining the use of DAAs with peginterferon and ribavirin has improved treatment efficacy. Furthermore, the combination of different orally administered DAAs has enabled interferon-free therapy with much higher efficacy and safety. In particular, sofosbuvir, a nucleotide-based NS5B inhibitor, prevents HCV RNA synthesis by acting as a “chain terminator”. Treatment with sofosbuvir has attained an extremely high rate of sustained virologic response. The current review summarizes the efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir therapy.
Core tip: Sofosbuvir, a nucleotide-based NS5B inhibitor, is an effective treatment against pangenotypic strains of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Sofosbuvir-containing regimens have attained extremely high rates of sustained virologic response. Because regimens including sofosbuvir result in fewer adverse events than interferon-based regimens, sofosbuvir has taken a central role in HCV treatment.