Second-wave protease inhibitors: choosing an heir.

Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease and a leading indication of liver transplantations worldwide. The current standard of care for chronic hepatitis C is a combination of pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin that is effective in slightly more than half of cases and is associated with significant side effects. The first directly acting antivirals recently reached the US market, but will have shortcomings that should in part be overcome by the second-wave PIs that are in development. This article gives an overview of the compounds that will soon be available.