Rapid decrease in hepatitis C viremia by direct acting antivirals improves the natural killer cell response to IFN{alpha}

Conclusions IFN-responsiveness can be improved by inhibiting HCV replication and reducing the HCV-induced activation of the innate immune response. This may provide a rationale for clinical trials of a brief period of direct acting antiviral therapy followed by PegIFN/RBV therapy to reduce the overall treatment costs in low-income and middle-income countries. Trial registration numbers NCT01888900 and NCT00718172.

http://gut.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/66/4/724?rss=1

Source: Gut - March 10, 2017 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Serti, E., Park, H., Keane, M., O'Keefe, A. C., Rivera, E., Liang, T. J., Ghany, M., Rehermann, B. Tags: Hepatology Source Type: research