Hepatitis C virus: from discovery to eradication in 40 years?

The author reflects on the development on the study and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV). He relates that the virus was discovered by Michael Houghton and colleagues in 1989. He says that a major progress in HCV treatment was the launch of ribavirin, which increases the sustained virological response (SVR) rates at a maximum of 40% when combined with interferon (IFN)-α. He mentions that the creation of HCV vaccine is still a challenge.