Direct-acting antivirals (DAA) are drugs used to treat

hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

infections. They are a combination of

antiviral drug Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Unlike most antibiotics, antiviral drugs do n ...

s that target stages of the

hepatitis C virus The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small (55–65 nm in size), enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family ''Flaviviridae''. The hepatitis C virus is the cause of hepatitis C and some cancers such as liver cancer ( hepato ...

reproductive cycle. They are more effective than older treatments such as

ribavirin Ribavirin, also known as tribavirin, is an antiviral medication used to treat RSV infection, hepatitis C and some viral hemorrhagic fevers. For hepatitis C, it is used in combination with other medications such as simeprevir, sofosbuvir, pegin ...

and

interferon Interferons (IFNs, ) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten the ...

. The DAA drugs are taken orally, as tablets, for 8 to 12 weeks. The treatment depends on the type or types (

genotype The genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material. Genotype can also be used to refer to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location. The number of alleles an individual can have in a ...

s) of hepatitis C virus that are causing the infection. Both during and at the end of treatment, blood tests are used to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment and subsequent cure. The DAA combination drugs used include: *

Harvoni Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, sold under the trade name Harvoni among others, is a medication used to treat hepatitis C. It is a fixed-dose combination of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir. Cure rates are 94% to 99% in people infected with hepatitis C virus (H ...

(sofosbuvir and ledipasvir) * Epclusa (sofosbuvir and velpatasvir) *

Vosevi Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir, sold under the brand name Vosevi, is a fixed-dose combination medication for the treatment of hepatitis C. It combines three drugs that each act by a different mechanism of action against the hepatitis C viru ...

(sofosbuvir, velpatasvir, and voxilaprevir) *

Zepatier Elbasvir/grazoprevir (trade name Zepatier ) is a fixed-dose combination for the treatment of hepatitis C, containing elbasvir (an inhibitor of hepatitis C virus's NS5A protein) and grazoprevir (an NS3 (HCV), NS3/NS4A, 4A inhibitor). It is used t ...

(elbasvir and grazoprevir) *

Mavyret Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P), sold under the brand names Mavyret and Maviret, is a fixed-dose combination medication used to treat hepatitis C. It contains glecaprevir and pibrentasvir. It works against all six types of hepatitis C. At twelve ...

(glecaprevir and pibrentasvir) DAAs were approved on the basis of a

surrogate endpoint In clinical trials, a surrogate endpoint (or surrogate marker) is a measure of effect of a specific treatment that may correlate with a ''real'' clinical endpoint but does not necessarily have a guaranteed relationship. The National Institutes of He ...

called "Sustained virological Response" or SVR. Although SVR is widely marketed as a functional "cure," its validity for predicting clinical outcomes (liver disease. extending life) has been challenged,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Direct-acting antivirals Combination drugs Anti–hepatitis C agents