Resistance to Direct-Acting Antivirals

Abstract

Viral resistance corresponds to the selection, during treatment, of pre-existing viral variants less susceptible to the drug’s inhibitory activity because they bear amino acid substitutions altering the drug target. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) drugs in development can be split into two groups according to their barrier to resistance. Direct-acting antiviral drugs with a low barrier to resistance include first-generation NS3-4A protease inhibitors, non-nucleoside inhibitors of HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and first-generation NS5A inhibitors. HCV drugs with a high barrier to resistance include nucleoside/nucleotide analogues, possibly second-generation protease and NS5A inhibitors, and host-targeted agents, such as cyclophilin inhibitors or microRNA-122 antagonists. This article reviews recent findings that add to our knowledge and understanding of HCV resistance to direct-acting antiviral drugs and discusses them in the context of new therapeutic strategies, with and without pegylated interferon-α and/or ribavirin.