IL28B Genotyping – A Personalized Approach for Treating Chronic Hepatitis C

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a first-degreepublic health problem worldwide, affecting around175 million people. Current treatment with peginterferonplus ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) provides cure to only half ofpatients and not all patients benefit to the same extent, asthose infected with HCV genotypes 1 or 4, with high viremia,of older age, of black ethnicity, and with more advancedhepatic fibrosis tend to respond less. In addition,serious adverse events limit adherence to therapy. Patientsexperiencing rapid virologic response at week 4 oftherapy have the highest chance of response followingcompletion of therapy, while those without early virologicresponse at week 12 will unlikely respond to therapy. Thisis true in HCV-monoinfected as well as HIV/HCV-coinfectedpatients in whom response to therapy is generallylower (Soriano, et al. AIDS. 2007;21:1073-89).