New therapies for hepatitis C virus infection.

An estimated 170 million people in the world are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). These individuals are at risk for developing complications like cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma. Occurrence of HCV has been recorded to be high in certain parts of the world like Africa and Southeast Asia. The prevalence is considerably lower in the United States, with an estimated number of people with positive HCV antibodies around 1.8% of the population and an estimated 3.1 million individuals having active HCV infection. Treatment of hepatitis C has undergone a complete overhaul several times over the past decade and continues to evolve striving for constant improvement. We now are at the cusp of yet another such overhaul with the protease inhibitors about to be introduced into the market.