New Scenarios in the Treatment of HIV/HCV Co-Infection

The introduction of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) dramatically improved the survival of HIV patients; however, an important cause of morbidity and mortality is the liver failure in patients with HIV-HCV co-infection. In an analysis on the adverse events of anti-HIV drugs, 1,246 patients out of 23,441 died over a 5-year follow-up period and liver failure constituted 15% of the mortality with over 50% of deaths occurring despite optimal HIV suppression. Therefore, more effective treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus infection become pivotal to a favorable outcome in HIV co-infected patients. The eradication of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) with novel HCV antiviral offers new therapeutic opportunities. At the same time, these drugs arise new challenges as drug interaction with HAART, overlapping toxicities and the high costs of treatment. This review focuses on the current state of the art of these new and promising therapeutic options for HIV/ HCV co-infected individuals.