A serious viral infection that primarily targets the liver, HCV can be effectively treated with a number of different drug regimens. Until 2011, the FDA approved only two drugs to treat HCV: pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin. Peg-IFN is poorly tolerated with numerous side effects, and the result has been that many HCV patients refuse to take the drug or are not able to complete a full course of treatment. Ribavirin, while ineffective for the treatment of HCV as mono therapy, is currently used in conjunction with a number of HCV medications.
In 2013, the FDA approved simeprevir as the first once-daily protease inhibitor, which fights HCV by interfering with the essential proteins that allow the virus to carry out its life cycle. 2013 also saw the introduction of the polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir, which inhibits the ability of the virus to replicate its genetic material inside the host organism. Both drugs are currently in use a part of combination drug regimens that are highly effective for eradicating HCV in individual patients generally treated for 8-12 weeks.