Heterocyclic Compounds for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus

The vast majority of people infected with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) will have chronic infection. Over decades, this can lead to liver disease and liver cancer. In fact, HCV infection is the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S. Several new drugs have recently come into the market that have changed the HCV treatment paradigm. However, the effectiveness of these new drugs can vary depending on the HCV genotype. Furthermore, all oral, interferon free therapeutic regimens for HCV infection will need combinations of drugs that target different aspects of the HCV life cycle. Thus, there is still the need for additional new therapeutics against HCV.

The subject technologies are aryloxazole based small molecules that are potent inhibitors of HCV infection and replication. The compounds exhibit synergy with currently available therapeutics for HCV and represent a new class of anti-HCV compounds. The compounds affect the entry step of HCV infection, a step not targeted by currently available therapeutics against HCV.