Chronic hepatitis C remains a significant medical and economic burden in Canada, affecting nearly 1% of the population. Since the last Canadian consensus conference on the management of chronic hepatitis C, major advances have occurred that warrant a review of recommended management approaches for these patients. Specifically, direct-acting antiviral agents with dramatically improved rates of v...

In this study, we established a flow cytometry live cell-based assay that permits the screening of hepatitis C virus (HCV) inhibitors. Specifically, we created a stable cell line, which harbors a subgenomic replicon encoding an NS5A-YFP fusion protein. This system allows direct measurement of YFP fluorescence in live hepatoma cells in which the HCV replicon replicates. We demonstrated that this...

We report four HCV-HIV-coinfected patients who developed herpes zoster or muco-cutaneous herpes virus disease shortly after starting interferon-free antiviral treatment for HCV. We suggest that in our patients the prompt clearance of HCV following direct-acting antivirals leads to a paradoxical effect on the innate and adaptive immune system mediating the reactivation of herpetic infection.

There is currently minimal clinical experience regarding retreatment options for patients failing direct-acting antiviral combination regimens. Here, we report the outcomes of a HCV genotype 1b-infected patient with virologic failure following treatment with daclatasvir and asunaprevir, who was successfully retreated with sofosbuvir plus simeprevir.

Recent trials evaluated the safety and efficacy of two protease inhibitors, boceprevir (Victrelis) and telaprevir (Incivek), added to standard care with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. These drugs open the door for triple therapy and other new therapies involving combinations of other direct-acting antiviral agents to become the ne...