Developments in hepatitis C therapy during 2000 - 2002

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a human hepatotropic virus with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 170 million cases, including ∼ 4 million cases in the US. It is a major cause of liver disease and is the most common indication for liver transplantation in the US. The majority of infected individuals are eligible for therapy. Since it is difficult to predict who will have progressive disease, those with significant inflammation or fibrosis on histologic examination of liver biopsy are generally offered treatment. The following chapter is an overview of the patent literature during 2000 - mid-2002, and discusses the potential of various treatment modalities for HCV.