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Hepatitis C (HCV):
Medusa the Only Mortal Gorgon
Lessons learned for HCV from HIV combination drug development
The HIVTRI Science and Innovation Lectures 2009
The Wellcome Institute London May 2009
For those that can access antiretrovirals, the dire consequences of HIV and hepatitis B (HBV),
those two immortal Gorgons, have for the most part been avoided by their suppression, although
resistance development remains a real threat to therapeutic failure and continued disease. However,
the Medusa-like epidemic of hepatitis C remains, with as yet no licensed virus-directed therapy.
Even though she is mortal a single therapy will not kill her in all her guises and her immortal sisters
may also cause problems for her would-be slayers.
As Perseus used a range of magical gifts to complete his quest, so physicians will need
combination therapy to effectively eradicate HCV and many important lessons have been learned
throughout the past 25 years of HIV drug development.
During this meeting the progress towards
individual agents and future strategic combinations of therapy against HCV was discussed for both
those with and without HIV.
Speakers
Dr Marie-Pierre de Bethune — Tibotec, Mechlen, Belgium
Dr Daria Hazuda — Merck research Laboratories,
Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA
The meeting was chaired by Professor Geoff Dusheiko from the Royal Free
Campus, University College, London
A report from the meeting will be available to download here soon.
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