Context

Until recently, the standard of care for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been pegylated interferon and ribavirin for 48 weeks for genotype 1 and 24 weeks for genotype 3 infection, with overall sustained virological response (SVR), which equates to cure, of 50% and 80%, respectively. With the recent licensing of the protease inhibitors telaprevir and boceprevir, first generation direct acting antivirals (DAAs), we are at the dawn of a new era of HCV therapy. The ILLUMINATE study explores response-guided therapy in HCV treatment naïve individuals using telaprevir in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.