Efficacy and Safety of Daclatasvir in Hepatitis C: An Overview

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a growing public health concern, with 184 million people infected worldwide. During the past decade, interferon has been the backbone of HCV treatment, even though it remains far from ideal. The latest development of the new direct antivirals has drastically changed the treatment approach for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Inhibitors of the HCV NS5A region have garnered remarkable interest among treating physicians, due to their high potency and favourable safety profile. In particular, treatment with daclatasvir (DCV) has yielded high rates of vriologic response in patients infected with genotype (Gt) 1 and Gt 3, when used in combination with other antivirals of a different class, such as sofosbuvir. Although few data are available for DCV treatment of the other Gts, the results in patients with Gt 2 and Gt 4 infection appear promising, as do those for unique patient populations. NS5A-resistant viral variants can pre-exist or emerge after treatment failure for the HCV NS5A inhibitors. Nonetheless, DCV-resistant viral variants continue to be sensitive to interferon and other classes of antivirals such as NS3/4A and NS5B inhibitors. Herein, we aimed to provide an overview of the current knowledge about DCV in the treatment of CHC.