What is the Long-term Benefit of Direct-acting Antiviral Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis C?

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) has become a curable disease with the advent of potent antiviral drug. Interferon-free regimens with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have not only reduced adverse drug reactions but also increased sustained virologic response (SVR) rates. The possibility of viral eradication is no longer an urgent clinical issue. Instead, the cost of DAA remains as a major barrier to the universal implementation of this magic bullet to all infected patients. Clinicians are challenged to make a decision whether their patients, especially stable ones despite long history of infection, will benefit from the antiviral therapy. This issue will be resolved with the longer follow-up studies with hard outcomes such as development of liver cancer and liver-associated mortality. KCI Citation Count: 0