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The Role of Pharmacogenetics in the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Infection
Author(s) -
KawaguchiSuzuki Marina,
Frye Reginald F.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1002/phar.1349
Subject(s) - ribavirin , medicine , pharmacogenetics , telaprevir , boceprevir , interleukin 28b , hepatitis c virus , hepatitis c , genotype , pegylated interferon , immunology , virology , virus , gene , genetics , biology
Hepatitis C virus ( HCV ) chronically infects 170 million people worldwide. Until recently, combination therapy with peginterferon‐α (peg IFN ) and ribavirin ( RBV ) has been the standard of care. However, for many patients, especially those infected with the most common HCV genotype 1 ( HCV ‐1), this treatment has resulted in unsatisfactory treatment response rates. Many clinical factors, including pharmacogenetics, influence the treatment response rate. Genetic variation in the interleukin 28B ( IL 28B ) gene is the major determinant of treatment response, a finding that has been replicated in multiple independent cohorts. This review focuses on the association between pharmacogenetics and conventional peg IFN / RBV therapy in patients infected with HCV non–genotype 1; patients reinfected with HCV after liver transplantation; and patients coinfected with HCV and human immunodeficiency virus. We also review the pharmacogenetic data for boceprevir and telaprevir triple therapy in patients with HCV ‐1 infection, as well as viral genomic polymorphisms and genetic variants that may protect against anemia. Pharmacogenetic information offers a personalized medicine approach to help clinicians and patients make better informed decisions to maximize response and minimize toxicity for the treatment of chronic HCV infection.