Peginterferon Lambda-1a, a New Therapeutic for Hepatitis C Infection, from Bench to Clinic.

ABSTRACT: Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is estimated to affect approximately 3% of the world's population and cause 350,000 deaths each year. For a number of years, the standard of care has been combination therapy with recombinant alfa interferons-originally as native proteins but more recently as polyethyleneglycol-modified derivatives-and ribavirin, with the recent addition of an NS3 protease inhibitor for HCV genotype 1. However, therapeutic alfa interferons are associated with a significant burden of treatment-limiting adverse events, including musculoskeletal and influenza-like symptoms, hematologic cytopenias, autoimmune disease, fatigue, and other neurologic events. In 2003, a team at ZymoGenetics (now a fully owned subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb) and a second, independe

SUBMITTER: Andersen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4521278 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature