Hepatitis C protease and polymerase inhibitors in development

AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2008 Jun;22(6):449-57. doi: 10.1089/apc.2007.0199.

Abstract

Hepatitis C infection (HCV) remains a global problem and the current anti-HCV therapies available in the clinic have sustained virologic response rates (SVR) of only about 50%, especially in HCV genotype 1-infected subjects. The SVR is even lower in HIV-HCV co-infected patients, estimated at only about 30-40%. However, exciting new research is under way to find new anti-HCV therapies. Presently, efforts to develop new anti-HCV agents for HCV-infected persons who fail pegylated interferon and ribavirin-based therapies have focused on inhibitors of key HCV enzymes such as the HCV NS3 protease and the NS5B polymerase. There are two protease inhibitors, telaprevir (VX-950, Vertex) and boceprevir (SCH 503034, Schering-Plough); and three polymerase inhibitors, valopicitabine (NM283, Idenix), R1626 (Roche), and HCV-796 (Viropharma) that have advanced to late-stage clinical trials. Of these aforementioned agents, telaprevir is the most advanced in clinical development. Early trial results on efficacy, safety, and HCV drug-resistance profiles of these novel agents will be discussed in this review paper.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Genotype
  • HIV Infections / complications
  • Hepacivirus / genetics*
  • Hepatitis C / complications
  • Hepatitis C / drug therapy*
  • Hepatitis C / genetics
  • Humans
  • Multicenter Studies as Topic
  • Oligopeptides / therapeutic use*
  • Proline / analogs & derivatives*
  • Proline / therapeutic use
  • Protease Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Pyrimidine Nucleosides / therapeutic use
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Oligopeptides
  • Protease Inhibitors
  • Pyrimidine Nucleosides
  • telaprevir
  • N-(3-amino-1-(cyclobutylmethyl)-2,3-dioxopropyl)-3-(2-((((1,1-dimethylethyl)amino)carbonyl)amino)-3,3-dimethyl-1-oxobutyl)-6,6-dimethyl-3-azabicyclo(3.1.0)hexan-2-carboxamide
  • Proline
  • valopicitabine