HIV/HCV-coinfection: which role can new antiretrovirals such as integrase inhibitors play?

End-stage liver disease has become one of the most frequent causes of death in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients. The role of new antiretrovirals in the progression of liver fibrosis has yet to be defined. However with significant toxicities and drug-to-drug interactions of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in combination with ribavirin, with drug to drug interaction of HIV protease inhibitors with HCV protease inhibitors and calcineurin-inhibitors, new antiretrovirals lacking these interactions represent attractive alternatives in the setting of anti-HCV therapy or post liver transplantation. In the following review we want to focus on the new class of HIV integrase inhibitors and discuss present data with regard to special issues of HIV and HCV co-infection.