Antiviral Advance: Drug disables enzyme from hepatitis C virus

It’s odd to think that anyone would look upon a person infected with the AIDS virus with even a tinge of envy, but some of the estimated 170 million people worldwide infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) may do just that. Whereas AIDS researchers have developed powerful drugs, including protease inhibitors, that target specific HIV proteins, physicians typically treat HCV with less effective, general antiviral medications, such as interferon and ribavirin.