16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Montreal, Canada, 8-11 February 2009 (Conference News‪)‬

As the dawn of specifically targeted anti-hepatitis C therapy (STAT-C) approaches, in a timely symposium Professor Alan Perelson [1] reviewed mathematical modelling data on the emergence of resistant HCV and the future of HCV antiviral therapy with combination therapies and the possibility of avoiding pegylated interferons and ribavirin. Based on approaches that take into account preexisting mutations, viral turnover, antiviral efficacy and emergence of mutations he predicted that it would require drugs or drug combinations with a high barrier to mutation to avoid the pitfalls of resistant HCV emerging. We await with interest the first studies in HIV co-infected patients, but in the first instance, cocktails will need additional pegylated interferon and ribavirin and treatment combinations with STAT-Cs alone are some way away. EPIDEMIOLOGY