Will Hepatitis C Treatment Drugs Eliminate the Virus for good ?

The infectious disease hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which affects the liver. During the initial infection, people often have mild or no symptoms, and there is typically no symptoms early during chronic infection. This condition can progress to scarring of the liver (fibrosis), and advanced scarring (cirrhosis). In some cases, those with cirrhosis will develop complications such as liver failure, liver cancer, or dilated blood vessels in the esophagus and stomach.

Hepatitis C Facts & Statistics -

It is estimated that globally there are approximately more than 150 million people worldwide are infected with HCV and each year, >== 500, 000 die from diseases associated with HCVs, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Can Hep C be cured ? 

The good news is yes, Hepatitis C (hep C) can be cured for most people. The medicines, known as direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are taken orally, are more effective and have less side-effects.

DAAs directly target the hep C virus in different ways to stop it from making copies of itself and do this so well that they promise a much brighter future for people living with hepatitis C. The goals of DAAs are to shorten the length of therapy, minimize side effects, target the virus itself, and improve sustained virologic response (SVR) rate. DAAs promise treatments with shorter treatment times, much higher cure rates, and fewer side effects.

There are four classes of DAAs, which are defined by their mechanism of action. Many DAAs are taken in combination with one another or with other medications including ribavirin or peginterferon to improve efficacy and SVR rates.

The Four Classes of DAAs :

1. NS3/4A Protease Inhibitors :  This class of DAAs works to inhibit the NS3/4A protease enzyme, which is required for viral replication and post-translational processing (the making of mature virus particles). Additionally, these inhibitors may act in other ways, including weakening the induction of interferons. This means NS3/4A protease inhibitors can act in more than one way to combat HCV. This class includes Simeprevir (Olysio), Grazoprevir and Paritaprevir. 2. NS5B RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Inhibitors :   This group contains two different classes within it—NS5B nucleoside polymerase inhibitors and NS5B non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitors. They directly target the hep C virus to stop it from making copies of itself in the liver. They attach themselves onto the genetic information, called RNA, to block the virus from multiplying. This class includes Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi). 3. NS5A Protein Inhibitors :   This group block a HCV protein, NS5A, that involved in the assembly of new virus particles, as well as the replication of the virus itself. This class includes Daclatasvir (Daklinza), Elbasivr, Ledipasvir, Ombitasvir, and Velpatasvir. 4. Combinations of DAAs for HCV treatment :   As mentioned earlier, many of these DAAs are not designed to be taken alone, or have stronger efficacy or SVR rates when used in combination with one another. Currently available combination medications include : Sofosbuvir and Velpatasvir (Epclusa) Ledipasvir and Sofosbuvir (Harvoni) Elbasvir and Grazoprevir (Zepatier)  Ombitasvir, Paritaprevir, and Ritonavir (Technivie)