Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of liver transplantation in adults. Although the recurrence of HCV infection after liver transplantation is nearly universal, the recent advances in direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents have revolutionized the management of HCV infection in the posttransplant setting. A number of these agents have been evaluated in recent clinical trials and have shown high sustained virologic response rates, shorter durations of treatment, and decreased adverse events when compared with the previous treatment of pegylated interferon and ribavirin. This article will review the current literature on the efficacy, tolerability, and potential drug interactions of various DAA agents in patients with recurrent HCV infection posttransplant.
Keywords: Hepatitis C virus; direct-acting antiviral agents; liver transplant; recurrence; viral hepatitis.