Interferon-free treatments in patients with hepatitis C genotype 1-4 infections in a real-world setting

Efficacy, safety, and quality of life profile of Genotype-3 Chronic Hepatitis-C Pakistani patients receiving ledipasvir plus sofosbuvir treatment

Objective

This study aimed to assess the overall treatment response of Genotype-3 Chronic HCV Pakistani Patients with or without cirrhosis to Ledipasvir plus Sofosbuvir combination.

Method

In this observational study, HCV Genotype-3 patients were enrolled from Liver Center, DHQ Hospital, Faisalabad and divided into two groups, i.e., non-cirrhotic and compensated cirrhotic patients. The study spanned for a period of 24 months (November 2019 - November 2021) from the first enrollment to the last follow up. Non-cirrhotic patients received Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) 90/400mg for 12 weeks and cirrhotic patients received LDV/SOF with Ribavirin (RBV) for 12 weeks and without RBV for 24 weeks. The treatment efficacy in terms of sustained virological response (SVR12) was monitored 12 weeks post-treatment. The safety profile, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were monitored from baseline to follow-up visits.

Results

Two hundred and ninety out of 309 (93.85%) non-cirrhotic and 31 out of 33 (93.94%) compensated cirrhotic patients achieved SVR-12. The safety profile of the non-cirrhotic and compensated cirrhotic patients was comparable throughout the study duration. Fatigue was the most commonly reported adverse event (AE) in non-cirrhotic and compensated cirrhotic patients, followed by headache, nausea, and fever. The HRQoL improved from baseline to follow-up visits among patients of both groups.

Conclusion

It is concluded that LDV and SOF combination regimen is safe and effective for treating Genotype-3 HCV patients without cirrhosis/compensated cirrhosis, and also improves the patient's HRQoL.

The Efficiency of Increased HCV Testing and Treatment Strategies in Spain to Achieve Elimination Goals

BACKGROUND

In 2015, Spain launched a national eradication strategy for hepatitis C virus (HCV), resulting in the highest treatment rate in Europe and substantial reductions in HCV prevalence. However, to achieve the goal of HCV elimination, it is necessary to scale-up the diagnosis, treatment, and management of HCV infection.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to assess the prevalence, incidence, and cost effectiveness of scaling-up compared with status quo scenarios.

METHODS

A compartmental dynamic transmission model was developed comprising of a cascade of care and a liver progression module. Cost and quality-of-life inputs were sourced from the literature. Key outcomes were the prevalence and incidence of HCV and the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) and per life-year (LY). Outcomes for a hypothetical elimination strategy were compared with the status quo.

RESULTS

The base-case analysis found that scaling-up testing and treatment reduced both the prevalence and incidence of HCV over time, resulting in incremental costs per QALY and LY of €13,291 and €12,285 respectively, compared with the status quo. The main drivers of the cost-effectiveness results included cost of diagnosis, cost of treatment, proportion of people who are unaware, percentage of population who inject drugs, and calibration parameters related to HCV infection prevalence.

CONCLUSIONS

This analysis demonstrated that scaling-up testing and treatment with direct-acting antivirals may be an efficient strategy for reducing the incidence and prevalence of HCV and may help achieve HCV elimination goals in Spain.

Comparative outcomes of direct-acting antiviral treatment in patients with HIV-Hepatitis C co-infection: insights from a single center experience in Colombia

Background

Direct-acting antivirals (DAA) were introduced to Latin America with the aim of eliminating hepatitis C (HCV) in the region. There are scarce data on the outcomes of people living with HIV and HCV treated with these medications in Colombia. This study compares the outcomes of patients with HIV-HCV co-infection and HCV mono-infection treated with DAAs.

Methods

Retrospective observational study including patients ≥18 years old with HCV infection treated with DAAs from August 2017 to December 2019 in a comprehensive center in Colombia. The main outcome was sustained virologic response (SVR). Secondary outcomes included reinfection, relapse and adverse events.

Results

We included 223 individuals with HCV treated with DAAs; 142 (63.6%) individuals were mono-infected and 81 (36.3%) co-infected. Genotypes 1b (49.7%) and 4 (33.9%) were the most common. Overall SVR after DAA treatment was 96.8%. Relapse rate was 2.24%, reinfection rate was 6.28% and adverse events occurred in 27.8% of cases. SVR was comparable in patients with co- and mono-infection (95% vs 97.8%, p=0.245).

Conclusion

DAA were effective in mono-infected (HCV) and co-infected (HCV/HIV) patients and reinfection was high in this last group.

Combining the age-male-albumin-bilirubin-platelets score and shear wave elastography stratifies carcinogenic risk in hepatitis C patients after viral clearance

BACKGROUND

The treatment of hepatitis C with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) produces a high rate of sustained virological response (SVR) with fewer adverse events than interferon (IFN) therapy with a similar effect in inhibiting carcinogenesis as IFN therapy. The age-male-albumin-bilirubin-platelets (aMAP) score is useful for stratifying the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis patients, and the velocity of shear waves (Vs) measured by shear wave elastography has also been shown to be useful for diagnosing the level of fibrotic progression in hepatitis C and predicting carcinogenic risk. Combining these two may improve the prediction of carcinogenic risk.

AIM

To determine whether combining the aMAP score with Vs improves carcinogenic risk stratification in medium-to-high-risk hepatitis C patients.

METHODS

This retrospective, observational study involved hepatitis C patients treated with DAAs who achieved SVR. Vs was measured before treatment (baseline), at the end of treatment (EOT), and 12 wk (follow-up 12) and 24 wk (follow-up 24) after treatment. The patients were followed for at least six months after EOT to determine whether cancer developed. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors contributing to hepatic carcinogenesis. The diagnostic performances of clinical parameters for predicting the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma were evaluated using receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 279 patients (mean age 65.9 years, 118 males, 161 females) were included in the analysis. Multiple regression analysis was performed with carcinogenesis as the target variable and alanine aminotransferase, platelets, α-fetoprotein, Vs, and the Fib-4 index as explanatory variables; only Vs was found to be significant (P = 0.0296). The cut-off value for Vs for liver carcinogenesis calculated using the ROC curve was 1.53 m/s. Carcinoma developed in 2.0% (3/151) of those with Vs < 1.53 m/s and in 10.5% (9/86) of those with Vs ≥ 1.53 m/s.

CONCLUSION

In hepatitis C patients after SVR, combining the aMAP score and Vs to stratify the risk of carcinogenesis is more efficient than uniform surveillance of all patients.

Clinical and economic value of sofosbuvir-based regimens in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in Spain

BACKGROUND

The treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) with direct-acting antivirals has undergone a spectacular revolution and added significant value to healthcare systems and patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficiency and value of Sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimens for a target population of 85,959 chronic HCV patients treated in Spain during 2015-2019, compared to previous therapeutic strategies (peginterferon/ and ribavirin in double/triple therapy with telaprevir or boceprevir).

METHODS

A previously developed lifetime Markov model was adapted to simulate the disease HCV evolution. In SOF-based regimens, all patients (100%) were treated regardless with sustained virological response (SVR) of 93-98%, obtained from real-world data. In previous therapeutic, only ≥F2 patients were treated according to clinical practice (38%) with an average SVR of 61% taken from published literature. The value was measured as clinical and economic impact in terms of avoided HCV-related mortality and liver complications; total costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) applying an annual 3% discount rate.

RESULTS

Compared to previous therapeutic, during lifetime, SOF-based regimens reduced decompensated cirrhosis by 89%, hepatocellular carcinoma by 77% and liver transplant by 84%, decreasing the cost associated to liver complications management in €770 million. SOF-based regimens also decreased liver-related mortality by 82%. Besides, SOF-based regimens gained 310,765/QALYs, saving €274 million (considering drugs, monitoring, and HCV management).

CONCLUSION

For Spain, SOF-based regimens offer value for HCV patients in terms of lowering HCV-related liver disease burden and generating significant cost savings for the health system, contributing to the WHO goal.

Role of liver stiffness measurements in patients who develop hepatocellular carcinoma after clearance of the hepatitis C virus

PURPOSE

To measure changes in liver stiffness over time due to direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in hepatitis C patients using shear wave elastography (SWE).

METHODS

Patients with hepatitis C treated with DAA therapy in a university medical center between July 2015 and April 2020 were evaluated. Shear wave velocity (Vs) of the liver was measured using SWE. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), platelet count, and α-fetoprotein (AFP) were measured at the same time, and the FIB-4 index was estimated. Absence of hepatocellular carcinoma was confirmed at baseline and end of therapy. Imaging was then performed every 6 months. Patient characteristics were compared between patients who did and did not develop carcinoma.

RESULTS

The mean age of the 229 patients (93 men) was 65.6 years. Eight patients developed carcinoma during follow-up (mean 32.6 ± 19.5 months). Significant differences were found between the groups in terms of AFP, platelet count, and Fib-4 index at baseline; the pre-treatment data had the best relationship with hepatocarcinogenesis. Mean Vs decreased significantly during DAA therapy, and then decreased further. Liver stiffness 6 months after treatment ended had the best relationship with hepatocarcinogenesis.

CONCLUSION

In patients with a sustained virological response, risk of developing cancer can be predicted by measuring Vs approximately 6 months after treatment.

Sustained virological response in patients with HCV treated with daclatasvir plus sofosbuvir, with or without ribavirin: a large, field-practice study

BACKGROUND

The once-daily oral combination of daclatasvir (DCV) and sofosbuvir (SOF), with or without ribavirin (RBV), is effective and well tolerated in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, further field-practice studies are necessary to investigate the effectiveness and safety of the DCV+SOF combination in diverse subpopulations of patients with HCV, including those who are more challenging to treat such as patients with a genotype 3 (G3) infection. The aim of this retrospective, multicenter, field-practice study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of the oral combination of DCV and SOF, with or without RBV (DCV+SOF±RBV), in a large unselected cohort of patients with chronic HCV infection (CHC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Consecutive patients received DCV+SOF±RBV for 12 or 24 weeks. The efficacy endpoint was sustained virological response at 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12). Safety factors were also considered.

RESULTS

A total of 620 patients were included in this study; the predominant genotype was G3 (55.3%). Of the total sample, 248 (40%) patients were treated with DCV+SOF+RBV and 372 (60%) did not receive RBV. The majority of patients assessed at week 12 (98%, 596/608) achieved SVR12. Among G3 patients, 98.8% (335/339) achieved SVR12. The most common adverse event was elevated bilirubin (30.6%), recorded in 4.9% of cases as a grade 3-4 adverse event.

CONCLUSION

This study shows the high pan-genotypic effectiveness and safety of the DCV+SOF±RBV combination in a large, unselected sample of CHC patients with G1-4, including a wide proportion of G3 CHC patients.

High sustained viral response among HCV genotype 3 patients with advanced liver fibrosis: real-world data of HCV elimination program in Georgia

Objective

In 2015, Georgia launched HCV elimination program. Initially, patients with advanced liver disease were treated with sofosbuvir-based regimen—the only DAA available for all genotypes. Purpose of the study was assessing real-world data of treatment outcome among patients with HCV GEN3 and advanced liver fibrosis with sofosbuvir-based regimens.

Results

Totally 1525 genotype 3 patients were eligible for analysis; most (72.6%) were aged > 45 years, majority were males (95.1%), and all (100%) had advanced liver disease (F3 or F4 by METAVIR score based on elastography). Of those who received sofosbuvir/ribavirin (SOF/RBV) for 24 weeks, 79.3% achieved SVR, while 96.5% who received sofosbuvir/pegylated interferon/ribavirin (SOF/PEG/RBV) for 12 weeks achieved SVR (p < 0.01). Among patients with liver cirrhosis (defined as F4) overall cure rate was 85.7% as opposed to 96.4% for those with F3. Females were more likely to be cured (98.7% vs 89.7%; OR = 8.54). Patients aged 31–45 years had higher likelihood of achieving SVR compared to patients aged 46-60 years (95.7% vs 87.4%; OR = 0.32,). Independent predictors of SVR were treatment with SOF/PEG/RBV (aOR = 6.72) and lower fibrosis stage (F3) (aOR = 4.18). Real-world experience among HCV GEN3 patients with advanced liver fibrosis and treated by sofosbuvir regimen w/o PEGIFN, demonstrated overall high SVR rate.

Liver stiffness in chronic hepatitis C virus infection

INTRODUCTION

The severity of liver fibrosis can be assessed noninvasively today by liver stiffness measurements. Vibration-controlled transient elastography, shear wave elastography or magnetic resonance elastography are techniques increasingly used for this purpose.

METHODS

This article presents the recent advances in the use of new techniques for liver fibrosis assessment in chronic hepatitis C: the correlation between liver stiffness values and liver fibrosis estimated by liver biopsies, the prognosis role of liver stiffness values, their usefulness in monitoring the treatment response, in assessing the severity of portal hypertension and in estimating the presence of esophageal varices. Scientific articles from January 2017 to January 2018 were searched in PubMed and PubMed Central databases, using the terms "liver stiffness" and "hepatitis C".

RESULTS

The median liver stiffness values measured with different techniques are not identical, so that FibroScan thresholds cannot be used on any other elastographic machine. The higher the liver's stiffness measurement, the higher the liver-related events in patients with chronic hepatitis C. A liver stiffness measurement over 17 kPa could be an independent predictor for the presence of esophageal varices as well as a spleen with a longitudinal span ≥ 15 cm for patients with a value of liver stiffness < 17 kPa. A progressive and persistent decrease in liver stiffness is dependent on sustained virological response achievement. The lack of liver stiffness decrease has been associated with relapsers and a low value of liver stiffness at baseline.

CONCLUSION

Liver stiffness provides clues about the severity and evolution of liver disease.

Lower Likelihood of Post-transplant Graft Failure, Death, and Retransplantation in the Era of Direct-Acting Antivirals

BACKGROUND

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are expected to improve outcomes for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after liver transplantation (LT). We aim to evaluate trends in post-LT outcomes with availability of DAAs.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated US adults transplanted from January 1, 2002, to March 31, 2018, using the United Network for Organ Sharing Registry, stratified by pre-DAA (January 1, 2002- to December 31, 2013) vs. post-DAA (January 1, 2014-, to March 31, 2018) eras. Adjusted multivariate Cox regression analyses and competing risk models evaluated likelihood of graft failure, death, and retransplantation (re-LT).

RESULTS

Among 97,147 patients, 30.2% had HCV infection and 19.4% had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Of all patients, 31.9% experienced graft failure, 27.1% died after LT, and 4.7% underwent re-LT. The post-DAA era experienced lower likelihood of graft failure (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.69, p < 0.001). Although patients with HCV infection (HR = 1.18, p < 0.001) and HCC (HR = 1.11, p < 0.001) had higher likelihood of graft failure in the pre-DAA era, no differences were seen in the post-DAA era. Although patients with HCV infection (HR = 1.20, p < 0.001) and HCC (HR = 1.17, p < 0.001) had higher likelihood of death after LT in the pre-DAA era, no differences were seen in the post-DAA era. The post-DAA era had lower likelihood of post-LT death when stratified by non-HCC (HR = 0.70, p < 0.001) and HCC cohorts (HR = 0.67, p < 0.001) or by non-HCV (HR = 0.73, p < 0.001) and HCV (HR = 0.58, p < 0.001) cohorts.

CONCLUSION

Although patients with HCV infection and HCC had higher risk of post-LT graft failure and death in the pre-DAA era, the disparity disappeared in the post-DAA era independently of each other. This likely reflects impact of DAAs on improving post-LT outcomes among patients with HCV infection and improved selection of patients with HCC for LT after 2014.

Effectiveness of 12 week ledipasvir/sofosbuvir and predictors of treatment failure in patients with hepatitis C

OBJECTIVE

The efficacy of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) have been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials, however,there is an unmet need for real-world effectiveness data. It is important to gather data regarding potential predictors of treatment failure with (LDV/SOF). Predictors of sustained virologic response (SVR) to all-oral HCV regimens can inform nuanced treatment decisions. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of LDV/SOF, SVR12 as main endpoint and SVR24 as second endpoint, and identify predictors of treatment failure.

METHODS

Retrospective and observational study carried out from April 2015 to January 2016. Inclusion criteria: patients with HCV infection treated with LDV/SOF for 12 weeks during study period. The patients that were treated during 24 weeks were excluded as well as those treated with peg-interferon. Binary logistic regression was used to predict what variable was associated with treatment failure.

RESULTS

A total of 122 patients were analyzed achieving SVR12 91.80% (112/122) of them. The patients with HCV genotype (GT) 1a or GT1b or GT4 achieved SVR12. Only one pre-treated non-cirrhotic HCV GT1 patients relapsed to treatment. The lowest SVR12 were obtained for GT3, 43.75%, (7/16). Everybody that got SVR12 achieved SVR24. None of the variables analyzed significantly influenced the SVR12, except GT (p=0.001). Almost all the relapses occurred in GT3.

CONCLUSIONS

LDV/SOF combination has been very effective to treat GT1 and GT4 infected patients, however, has constituted a suboptimal therapeutic option for those patients infected with GT3, regardless of the rest of the variables analyzed.

Improved liver transplant waitlist mortality and lower risk of disease progression among chronic hepatitis C patients awaiting liver transplantation after the introduction of direct-acting antiviral therapies in the United States

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection achieve high cure rates, reducing HCV-related disease progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. We aim to evaluate the impact of DAAs on US liver transplant (LT) waitlist outcomes. We retrospectively evaluated US adults (age ≥18) with and without chronic HCV listed for LT before and after the widespread use of sofosbuvir, allowing a 6-month period after approval (Era 1: 1/1/2002-5/31/2014 vs Era 2: 6/1/2014-12/31/2016) using the United Network for Organ Sharing registry. Overall, LT waitlist survival and likelihood of receiving LT were evaluated with multivariate Cox regression models. From 2002 to 2016, 158 045 patients were listed for LT. While the number of patients listed for HCV has been decreasing since 2012, the proportion of HCV patients with concurrent HCC is increasing by 3.33% per year (R² : 0.99, P < 0.001 by simple linear regression). While there was no difference in likelihood of LT between HCV and non-HCV patients, those listed in Era 2 had lower likelihood of LT (HR: 0.91, P < 0.001), more pronounced in the HCV cohort (HR: 0.83, P < 0.001) compared to the non-HCV cohort (HR: 0.93, P < 0.001). Compared to non-HCV patients, higher waitlist mortality was seen in HCV patients in Era 1 (HR: 1.08, P < 0.001) but not in Era 2 (HR: 1.02, P = 0.75). Since the introduction of DAAs for HCV treatment, number of patients with HCV listed for LT has declined. In the post-DAA era, HCV patients on the LT waitlist had improved waitlist mortality.

An update on the management of hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus co-infection

An estimated 2.3 million people globally are co-infected with HIV and HCV. Liver disease is now a leading cause of non-AIDS-related mortality among HIV-infected patients. The development of direct-acting antiviral agents has revolutionized the treatment of HIV/HCV co-infection with sustained virologic response response rates above 95% in most patient populations. This article provides an update on the management of acute and chronic HCV in patients co-infected with HIV including a section on drug–drug interactions.

Direct-acting antiviral agents in patients with hepatitis C genotype 1-4 infections in a tertiary hospital

OBJECTIVE

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease. Six different genotypes (GT) of HCV (genotypes 1-6) have been identified. The genotype is clinically relevant since the majority of current direct antiviral agents (DAA´s) do not have pangenotypic efficacy. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of real world patients and evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment regimens.

METHODS

Retrospective and observational study carried out in a third level hospital. Study period: January 2015-January 2016. Inclusion criteria: HCV patients of any genotype treated with either DAAs ± rivabirin (RBV) or DAAs + RBV + pegilated interferon (Peg-IFN) regimens for 12 weeks. Exclusion criteria: patients without adequate clinical or analytical information available for further analysis. Patients treated for 24 weeks were excluded. The main endpoint was sustained virologic response 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12), and secondary endpoint was SVR24.

RESULTS

A total of 515 patients were included (aged 55.52±8.97 years). GT1: patients treated with simeprevir + sofosbuvir (SIM + SOF), ledipavir (LDV)/SOF and paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir + dasabuvir (PTV/r/OBV + DSV) ± RBV had a SVR12 of 93.59% (190/203), 98.82% (N=84/85), 94.28% (66/70), respectively. Regarding daclatasvir (DCV) + SOF and SIM + DCV, everybody (19/19) and 87.5% (7/8) got SVR12, respectively. GT2: 71.42% (N=10/14) of patients achieved SVR12, concretely, SOF + RBV had a SVR12 75% (N=6/8). GT3: 43.75% (N=7/16), 90% (N=9/10) and 95% (N=19/20) of patients treated with LDV/SOF, LDV/SOF + RBV and SOF + DCV obtained SVR12, respectively. GT4: patients treated with LDV/SOF, SIM + SOF and PTV/r/OBV ± RBV had a SVR12 rate of 100% (21/21), 91.67% (22/24) and 92% (23/25), respectively. All patients that got SVR12 achieved SVR24.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study confirmed the efficacy data reported in clinical trials in a cohort of patients with GT1-4 and a wide range of basal characteristics.

Interferon-free treatments in patients with hepatitis C genotype 3 infection in a tertiary hospital

OBJECTIVE

Hepatitis C virus genotype 3 represents a unique entity within HCV treatment and multiple studies have documented that HCV genotype 3 infection is associated with more rapid disease progression than other genotypes, resulting in increased risk of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and all-cause mortality. In the current study, we further evaluated the real-world effectiveness of 12 weeks of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir ± ribavirin (LDV/SOF ± RBV) and sofosbuvir + daclatasvir (SOF + DCV) for treatment-naive or treatment-experienced patients infected with HCV genotype 3, with or without cirrhosis.

METHODS

Retrospective and observational study carried out in a third level hospital. Study period: April 2015 to January 2016. Inclusion criteria: Patients with HCV genotype-3 infection treated either with LDV/SOF ± RBV or with SOF + DCV during study period treated for 12 weeks. The patients that were treated during 24 weeks were excluded and those treated with peg-interferon. The main endpoint measured was the sustained virologic response (SVR) at 12 weeks (SVR12) and the secondary endpoint was SVR at 24 weeks (SVR24).

RESULTS

During the study period, 603 patients were treated in our hospital: 71 with genotype 3. We included 46 patients who were treated with LDV/SOF ± RBV or SOF + DCV for 12 weeks. A 43.75% (7/16) of all patients treated with LDV/SOF achieved SVR12, 90% (9/10) of the patients treated with LDV/SOF+RBV achieved SVR12 and 95% (19/20) of the patients treated with SOF+DCV achieved SVR12. There was statistically significant difference (p=0.001) between LDV/SOF respect to SOF+DCV and between LDV/SOF with regard to LDV/SOF +RBV (p=0.018) used to treat HCV genotype 3 infection.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, in our cohort of patients, the combination of SOF + DCV followed by LDV/SOF + RBV 12 weeks were the most effective in patients with HCV genotype 3 and with cirrhosis (SVR12 90% and 80%, respectively) and in those without cirrhosis (SVR12 100% in both combinations). All patients who achieved SVR12 also achieved SVR24, regardless of the regimen received.

Global elimination of hepatitis C virus infection: Progresses and the remaining challenges

Today, with the introduction of interferon-free direct-acting antivirals and outstanding progresses in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the elimination of HCV infection seems more achievable. A further challenge is continued transmission of HCV infection in high-risk population specially injecting drug users (IDUs) as the major reservoir of HCV infection. Considering the fact that most of these infections remain undiagnosed, unidentified HCV-infected IDUs are potential sources for the rapid spread of HCV in the community. The continuous increase in the number of IDUs along with the rising prevalence of HCV infection among young IDUs is harbinger of a forthcoming public health dilemma, presenting a serious challenge to control transmission of HCV infection. Even the changes in HCV genotype distribution attributed to injecting drug use confirm this issue. These circumstances create a strong demand for timely diagnosis and proper treatment of HCV-infected patients through risk-based screening to mitigate the risk of HCV transmission in the IDUs community and, consequently, in the society. Meanwhile, raising general awareness of HCV infection, diagnosis and treatment through public education should be the core activity of any harm reduction intervention, as the root cause of failure in control of HCV infection has been lack of awareness among young drug takers. In addition, effective prevention, comprehensive screening programs with a specific focus on high-risk population, accessibility to the new anti-HCV treatment regimens and public education should be considered as the top priorities of any health policy decision to eliminate HCV infection.

Micro-costing analysis of guideline-based treatment by direct-acting agents: the real-life case of hepatitis C management in Brazil

BACKGROUND

Eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) using direct-acting agents (DAA) has been associated with a financial burden to health authorities worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the guideline-based treatment costs by DAAs from the perspective of the Brazilian Ministry of Health (BMoH).

METHODS

The activity based costing method was used to estimate the cost for monitoring/treatment of genotype-1 (GT1) HCV patients by the following strategies: peg-interferon (PEG-IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) for 48 weeks, PEG-IFN/RBV plus boceprevir (BOC) or telaprevir (TEL) for 48 weeks, and sofosbuvir (SOF) plus daclastavir (DCV) or simeprevir (SIM) for 12 weeks. Costs were reported in United States Dollars without (US$) and with adjustment for purchasing power parity (PPP$). Drug costs were collected at the National Database of Health Prices and an overview of the literature was performed to assess effectiveness of SOF/DCV and SOF/SIM regimens in real-world cohorts.

RESULTS

Treatment costs of GT1-HCV patients were PPP$ 43,176.28 (US$ 24,020.16) for PEG-IFN/RBV, PPP$ 71,196.03 (US$ 39,578.23) for PEG-IFN/RBV/BOC and PPP$ 86,250.33 (US$ 47,946.92) for PEG-IFN/RBV/TEL. Treatment by all-oral interferon-free regimens were the less expensive approach: PPP$ 19,761.72 (US$ 10,985.90) for SOF/DCV and PPP$ 21,590.91 (US$ 12,002.75) for SOF/SIM. The overview reported HCV eradication in up to 98% for SOF/DCV and 96% for SOF/SIM.

CONCLUSION

Strategies with all oral interferon-free might lead to lower costs for management of GT1-HCV patients compared to IFN-based regimens in Brazil. This occurred mainly because of high discounts over international DAA prices due to negotiation between BMoH and pharmaceutical industries.

Direct antiviral agents (DAAs) - A new age in the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global health problem, because infection frequently leads to chronic hepatitis C eventually progressing to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Improved insights into the HCV replication cycle and the role of HCV non-structural proteins have recently enabled to identify drugs directly acting on specific HCV target structures. Agents from three drug classes have been developed and approved by the health authorities. Combinations of two or more drugs from different classes achieve high (>90%) HCV clearance rates and are well tolerated. This interferon-free DAA (direct antiviral agent) therapy has revolutionized antiviral therapy in hepatitis C so that successful hepatitis C treatment can be offered to virtually all patients irrespective of their co-morbidity. This review provides an overview over currently approved regimens and outlines their use in clinical practice. In addition potential short-comings of the current therapeutic options such as drug-drug interactions and selection of viral resistance are addressed. DAA combination therapy has the potential to obtain global control over hepatitis C. However, easy access to DAAs, availability of reliable HCV diagnostics, and affordable costs remain still important goals, which must be reached to globally eliminate hepatitis C.