====== NS5A inhibitors ======

NS5A inhibitors are a family of drugs ( e.g. l//edipasvir, velpatasvir, daclatasvir, ombitasvir// and others) which are used to treat viral infections such as Hepatitis C.

In combination, they have 'cure' rates over 90%. They disrupt the action of the //Nonstructural protein 5A//[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS5A_(Hepacivirus)|(NS5A)]]  which is crucial in the viral 'life cycle'.

How this works in practice is currently unknown.

>NS5A inhibitors have been developed to target the NS5A protein. These inhibitors have achieved a significant reduction in HCV RNA blood levels and can therefore be considered as potent antivirals. __Their mechanism of action is thought to be diverse but the exact mechanism is not fully understood.__<sup> </sup>Most studies assume that NS5A inhibitors act on two essential stages of the HCV life cycle; the replication of the genomic RNA, and virion assembly. Other studies propose an alteration of host cell factors as a possible third mechanism.\\ \\ Source : [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_and_development_of_NS5A_inhibitors#Mechanism_of_action|Wikipedia]]