Modeling the dynamics of HCV

Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers have developed a computational model that describes the dynamics of antiviral resistance in HCV patients.¹ The model could help scientists not only design better clinical trials using the best combinations of candidate drugs but also move away from including the standard of care in each trial.

The current standard of care for chronic HCV is pegylated interferon-a (IFNA; IFN-a) and ribavirin, two nonspecific antivirals. However, the treatment is only effective in just over 50% of patients, and side effects include flu-like illness, fever and fatigue...