Pol S, et al. – This study focuses on the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection. The better safety profile and high antiviral potency of direct–acting antivirals has made their combination in interferon–free oral regimens the standard of care for hepatitis C virus infection, tailored to individual patients according to the degree of disease progression (fibrosis), hepatitis C virus genotype and subtype, resistance profile, and prior therapeutic history.

• Clinical studies as well as preliminary real–life data regarding the combination of sofosbuvir (a nucleotide polymerase inhibitor) and daclatasvir, a first–in–class NS5A replication complex inhibitor, support it as one of the most promising antiviral therapies, with once–daily oral dosing, a low pill burden, good tolerability, and limited drug–drug interactions, in addition to high antiviral potency, with >90% sustained virologic response rates.
• Findings suggest high pangenotypic antiviral potency of this combination regardless of the severity and patient characteristics.
• In both cirrhotic and treatment–experienced patients whatever the stage of fibrosis, the combination of sofosbuvir and an NS5A inhibitor with ribavirin for 12 weeks seems a a very good further treatment option.