Jozef Holomáň, Mária Belovičová
Liver diseases represent the sixth most common cause of death in the European Union (Eurostat). An estimated 200 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), while the prevalence and incidence of disease is increasing. Current standard treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is based on concurrent application of pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirine. The likelihood of achieving a sustained virological response is associated with virus genotype: in genotype 1 and 4 it is between 42-52 %, in genotype 2 and 3 it is between 76-84 %. Despite a significant advance and relatively high efficacy of current treatment clinical research is aimed at developing new drugs. At present various drugs with virostatic effect are tested in clinical studies (HCV protease inhibitors, HCV polymerase inhibitors - nucleoside, non-nucleoside). The research strategy is aimed at the possibility of providing treatment to non-responders to previous standard treatment or contraindicated treatment together with relapsed patients. Combined treatment of standard drugs and new virostatics is considered from the prospective point of view.