Furthermore - we all know that a successful tx is not about the millions of virions that go down in the first few weeks, it is about eliminating the few hangers-on that are left.
I watched that video on ribavirin resistance a ton of times and I am not convinced that ribavirin resistance makes it not worth while to use. On the contrary, there is data from the ION2 and the SIRIUS trials that show that it makes a difference in some situations. My thinking is that a DAA is a one trick pony. It has one method of action. If a virion mutation is not susceptible to that action then you can swamp it with that DAA till the cows come home and that mutation will just keep replicating and repopulate your viral load. Ribavirin, on the other hand, has more than one method of action. It is not as fast or dramatic as a DAA but it can still nail that mutant virion when the other DAAs have become useless. Which is exactly what you need to keep the pressure on when you have a few stragglers that just keep hanging on. So, in my humble opinion, I think that the role of ribavirin when used with the DAAs is underrated.
dt