Inhibiting the viral-encoded non-structural NS3/4A protease has been identified as one of the most promising direct-acting strategies required for effective and safe HCV infection chemo therapy l4,5]. However, discovering HCV protease insibitors (HCPIs) has largely remained a daunting process as evident in the fact that only two HCPIs are currently available in clinical practice despite decades of rigorous search by both the industry and the academia 13,5,6l. Moreover, poor pharmacokinetics and