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World J Gastroenterol. Dec 21, 2013; 19(47): 8940-8948
Published online Dec 21, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i47.8940
Hepatitis C virus protease inhibitor-resistance mutations: Our experience and review
Shuang Wu, Tatsuo Kanda, Shingo Nakamoto, Fumio Imazeki, Osamu Yokosuka
Shuang Wu, Tatsuo Kanda, Shingo Nakamoto, Osamu Yokosuka, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Chiba University, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8677, Japan
Shuang Wu, Postdoctoral Fellow, Foreign Researcher of the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS), Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
Shingo Nakamoto, Department of Molecular Virology, Chiba University, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba 260-8677, Japan
Fumio Imazeki, Safety and Health Organization, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
Author contributions: Wu S, Kanda T, Nakamoto S, Imazeki F and Yokosuka O contributed to this paper.
Supported by Grants from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS); Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan; and Grants from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan
Correspondence to: Tatsuo Kanda, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Nephrology, Chiba University, Graduate School of Medicine, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan. kandat-cib@umin.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-43-2262086  Fax: +81-43-2262088
Received: September 14, 2013
Revised: November 8, 2013
Accepted: December 3, 2013
Published online: December 21, 2013
Core Tip

Core tip: The standard of care for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was peginterferon plus ribavirin until the recent approval of telaprevir- and boceprevir-containing combination therapies. These HCV protease inhibitors occasionally cause HCV variants with resistance mutations. We reviewed the literature reports of resistance variants of HCV protease inhibitors in treatment-naïve patients with chronic HCV genotype 1, as well as our experience. Even in treatment-naïve patients with chronic HCV genotype 1, naturally occurring HCV protease inhibitor-resistance mutations exist in some cases. The combination of direct-acting antiviral agents against regions other than HCV NS3/4A could eradicate HCV with these resistance variants.