Hepatitis C virus: Virology, diagnosis and treatment

Figure 2 Hepatitis C virus NS5B acts as RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and plays an important role in the synthesis of new RNA genomes. As the central component of the hepatitis C virus replication complex, NS5B has emerged as a major target for antiviral treatment. New direct acting antivirals, specifically designed to inhibit the NS5B are now becoming available (e.g., sofosbuvir).