Hepatitis C Virus

Abstract

In 2009, genome-wide association studies identified key roles for IL28B and ITPA polymorphisms in predicting HCV treatment outcomes using pegylated interferonα and ribavirin therapy. The IL28B polymorphism is strongly associated with antiviral efficacy of interferon-based HCV therapy, as well as with the spontaneous clearance of acute HCV infection. Very recently, it was proposed that IL28B polymorphisms actually tag a functional variant that affects the novel IFNL4 gene. Two functional ITPA variants determine the risk of ribavirin-induced hemolytic anemia. Personalized medicine is now a reality for chronic HCV patients, and IL28B genotyping has been incorporated into the clinical algorithm ..