The Discovery and Development of Boceprevir: A Novel, First-generation Inhibitor of the Hepatitis C Virus NS3/4A Serine Protease.

ABSTRACT: An estimated 2-3% of the world's population is infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), making it a major global health problem. Consequently, over the past 15 years, there has been a concerted effort to understand the pathophysiology of HCV infection and the molecular virology of replication, and to utilize this knowledge for the development of more effective treatments. The virally encoded non-structural serine protease (NS3) is required to process the HCV polyprotein and release the individual proteins that form the viral RNA replication machinery. Given its critical role in the replication of HCV, the NS3 protease has been recognized as a potential drug target for the development of selective HCV therapies. In this review, we describe the key scientific discoveries that led to the approv

SUBMITTER: Howe AY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4548358 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature