Spotlight on grazoprevir–elbasvir once-daily combination and its potential in the treatment of hepatitis C

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of health care utilization in the USA. Incidence of cirrhosis from HCV is expected to rise in the near future, further increasing this burden. There is a high medical need for effective, tolerable, safe, all-oral, short-duration therapy. To this end, several new direct-acting antiviral agents have been developed and have shown excellent sustained virologic response rates. However, patients who have previously failed treatment or who have developed cirrhosis, renal failure, or human immunodeficiency virus coinfection remain difficult-to-treat subgroups. An all-oral agent that is effective in many of these subgroups would simplify treatment of HCV greatly. Here we review currently available data on the efficacy, treatment duration, tolerability, and safety of combination of grazoprevir and elbasvir.