The evolving treatment of chronic hepatitis

The treatment of hepatitis C has evolved rapidly since the identification of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 1989. Since the first accepted therapy for HCV infection, recombinant interferon, received marketing approval a little more than a decade ago, it has come to be used in combination with ribavirin for improved rates of sustained virologic response. Recently, pegylated versions of interferon have been developed for use with ribavirin, offering pharmacokinetic advantages and further improvements in response rates over conventional interferon. This article briefly reviews how these evolving regimens for HCV infection have addressed the subtle and singular characteristics of this challenging virus.