Application of interferon-free treatment regimen in treatment of chronic hepatitis C in China

With the release of new oral direct-acting antiviral agents(DAAs),the interferon(IFN)-free treatment for hepatitis C comes out,and the clinical efficacy in phase II and III clinical trials is close to cure,which seems to announce the end of the era of hepatitis C.In China,an area of high incidence of hepatitis C,pegylated interferon(PEG-IFN) combined with ribavirin(RBV)(the standard of care)has been the dominant treatment regimen for hepatitis C,and it is uncertain whether it will be completely replaced by interferon-free treatment regimen.In this background,this paper analyzes the possible problems of DAAs and the main treatment direction of hepatitis C in China at the present stage based on the history and present situation of treatment of hepatitis C,especially the advantage of PEG-IFN combined with RBV in the treatment of hepatitis C in China,and the research advances in DAAs at home and abroad.It is found that PEG-IFN combined with RBV will remain the dominant treatment regimen for chronic hepatitis C at the present stage.