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Conway B, Yi S, Yung R, Sharma S. GRAND PLAN: Safety and Efficacy of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among People Initially Disengaged From Health Care Who Use Drugs-A Systematic Multidisciplinary Approach. Open Forum Infect Dis 2024; 11:ofad638. [PMID: 38444819 PMCID: PMC10914366 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofad638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Background GRAND PLAN is a prospective, open-label, phase 4 study. Based at a single center and with a single arm, GRAND PLAN evaluated the safety and efficacy of an 8-week course of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P) among active drug users with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a population enriched for factors that may reduce treatment uptake and success, such as disengagement from health care and unstable housing. Methods Participants were ≥19 years old and actively using drugs and were confirmed viremic, noncirrhotic, and HCV treatment naive. All participants provided informed consent before any study procedures. They received G/P for 8 weeks within a multidisciplinary model of care, with daily, weekly, or monthly dispensing of medications to optimize adherence. Results We identified 117 eligible patients with a median age of 46 years (range, 22-75): 27% were female, 21.4% were Indigenous, 48.7% were unstably housed, and 95.7% were active drug users (94.9% fentanyl). One patient did not start treatment, and 4 underwent <1 week of treatment, leaving 112 completed treatments with 94.6% picking up medications weekly. HCV RNA was undetectable at the end of treatment in all 112 patients. One died of unknown causes shortly after treatment. A cure was demonstrated in 108 of 111 (97.3%) cases at the SVR12 time point (sustained virologic response at ≥12 weeks); the other 3 experienced virologic relapse. Considering the entire cohort, the intent-to-treat success rate was 92.3% (108/117). HCV reinfection was documented at SVR24 in 5 cases, 2 of which were successfully retreated. Conclusions GRAND PLAN demonstrates that administration of an 8-week course of G/P to inner-city residents with HCV infection leads to a cure >95%. With a short course of treatment, G/P is an attractive option for this population in helping us achieve the World Health Organization's HCV objectives by 2030.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Conway
- Vancouver Infectious Diseases Center, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Shana Yi
- Vancouver Infectious Diseases Center, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Rossitta Yung
- Vancouver Infectious Diseases Center, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Shawn Sharma
- Vancouver Infectious Diseases Center, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Freiman JM, Wang J, Easterbrook PJ, Horsburgh CR, Marinucci F, White LF, Kamkamidze G, Krajden M, Loarec A, Njouom R, Nguyen KV, Shiha G, Soliman R, Solomon SS, Tsertsvadze T, Denkinger CM, Linas B. Deriving the optimal limit of detection for an HCV point-of-care test for viraemic infection: Analysis of a global dataset. J Hepatol 2019; 71:62-70. [PMID: 30797050 PMCID: PMC7014921 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2019.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Affordable point-of-care tests for hepatitis C (HCV) viraemia are needed to improve access to treatment in low- and middle-income countries. Our aims were to determine the target limit of detection (LOD) necessary to diagnose the majority of people with HCV eligible for treatment, and identify characteristics associated with low-level viraemia (LLV) (defined as the lowest 3% of the distribution of HCV RNA) to understand those at risk of being misdiagnosed. METHODS We established a multi-country cross-sectional dataset of first available quantitative HCV RNA measurements linked to demographic and clinical data. We excluded individuals on HCV treatment. We analysed the distribution of HCV RNA and determined critical thresholds for detection of HCV viraemia. We then performed logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with LLV, and derived relative sensitivities for significant covariates. RESULTS The dataset included 66,640 individuals with HCV viraemia from across the world. The LOD for the 95th and 99th percentiles were 3,311 IU/ml and 214 IU/ml. The LOD for the 97th percentile was 1,318 IU/ml (95% CI 1,298.4-1,322.3). Factors associated with LLV, defined as HCV RNA <1,318 IU/ml, were younger age 18-30 vs. 51-64 years (odds ratios [OR] 2.56; 95% CI 2.19-2.99), female vs. male sex (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.18-1.49), and advanced fibrosis stage F4 vs. F0-1 (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.21-1.69). Only the younger age group had a decreased relative sensitivity below 95%, at 93.3%. CONCLUSIONS In this global dataset, a test with an LOD of 1,318 IU/ml would identify 97% of viraemic HCV infections among almost all populations. This LOD will help guide manufacturers in the development of affordable point-of-care diagnostics to expand HCV testing and linkage to care in low- and middle-income countries. LAY SUMMARY We created and analysed a dataset from 12 countries with 66,640 participants with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. We determined that about 97% of those with viraemic infection had 1,300 IU/ml or more of circulating virus at the time of diagnosis. While current diagnostic tests can detect as little as 12 IU/ml of virus, our findings suggest that increasing the level of detection closer to 1,300 IU/ml would maintain good test accuracy and will likely enable development of more affordable portable tests for use in low- and middle-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Morgan Freiman
- Boston Medical Center, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA.
| | - Jianing Wang
- Boston Medical Center, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | | | - C Robert Horsburgh
- Department of Biostatistics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA; Global Health, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | | | - Laura F White
- Department of Biostatistics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | | | - Mel Krajden
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Anne Loarec
- Epicentre, Medecins Sans Frontières, Paris, France
| | | | - Kihn V Nguyen
- National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Gamal Shiha
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Mansoura, Egypt; Egyptian Liver Research Institute and Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Reham Soliman
- Egyptian Liver Research Institute and Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Sunil S Solomon
- YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, Chennai, India; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | | | | | - Benjamin Linas
- Boston Medical Center, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Section of Infectious Diseases, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, USA.
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Patel EU, Solomon SS, Mcfall AM, Srikrishnan AK, Pradeep A, Nandagopal P, Laeyendecker O, Tobian AAR, Thomas DL, Sulkowski MS, Kumar MS, Mehta SH. Hepatitis C care continuum and associated barriers among people who inject drugs in Chennai, India. Int J Drug Policy 2018; 57:51-60. [PMID: 29679811 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known regarding barriers to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment among people who inject drugs (PWID) in low-resource settings, particularly in the era of direct-acting antiviral therapies. METHODS Between March, 2015-August, 2016, a cross-sectional survey was administered to community-based PWID in Chennai, India to examine the HCV care continuum and associated barriers. Adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) were estimated by multivariable Poisson regression with robust variance. RESULTS All participants were male (n = 541); 152 participants had HCV mono-infection and 61 participants had HIV/HCV co-infection. Only one HCV mono-infected and one HIV/HCV co-infected participant was linked to HCV care. Overall, there was moderate knowledge of HCV disease but poor knowledge of HCV treatment. Higher total knowledge scores were negatively associated with HIV/HCV co-infection (vs. HCV mono-infection), though this was not statistically significant in adjusted analysis (APR = 0.71 [95%CI = 0.47-1.06]). Participants ≥45 years (APR = 0.73 [95%CI = 0.58-0.92]) and participants with HIV/HCV co-infection (APR = 0.64 [95%CI = 0.47-0.87]) were less willing to take weekly interferon injections for 12 weeks. Willingness to undergo HCV treatment improved with decreasing duration of therapy, higher perceived efficacy, and use of pills vs. interferon, though willingness to use interferon improved with decreasing duration of therapy. Most participants preferred daily visits to a clinic for HCV treatment versus receiving a month's supply. Participants ≥45 years (vs. <45 years; APR = 0.70 [95%CI = 0.56-0.88]) and participants with HIV/HCV co-infection (APR = 0.75 [95%CI = 0.57-0.98]) were less likely to intend on seeking HCV care. Common reasons for not having already seen a provider for HCV treatment differed by HIV status, and included low perceived need for treatment (HCV-mono-infected), competing money/health priorities and costs/fears about treatment (HIV/HCV-co-infected). CONCLUSION Residual gaps in HCV knowledge and continuing negative perceptions related to interferon-based therapy highlight the need to scale-up educational initiatives. Readiness for HCV treatment was particularly low among HIV/HCV co-infected and older PWID, emphasizing the importance of tailored treatment strategies.
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McDermott CL, Lockhart CM, Devine B. Outpatient directly observed therapy for hepatitis C among people who use drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Virus Erad 2018; 4:118-122. [PMID: 29682305 PMCID: PMC5892673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomised studies that assessed the effectiveness of directly observed hepatitis C medication therapy delivered in outpatient clinics compared to treatment as usual. Methods: We completed a systematic literature review up to the end of August 2017, including online databases, study abstracts and references of pertinent articles. We assessed the results of randomised studies using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias assessment tool, and observational studies using the ROBINS-I tool. From each study, we extracted the number of patients who did or did not attain sustained virological response (SVR). We utilised a DerSimonian and Laird random effects model for our meta-analysis. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42014012957). Results: We included six studies with 407 patients in our systematic review; four of those studies (215 patients) used randomisation and were included in our meta-analysis. Overall effect estimates showed that compared to treatment as usual, directly observed therapy demonstrated significantly higher odds of SVR attainment (odds ratio 2.01, 95% confidence interval 1.13-3.59). Conclusion: Among people who use drugs, directly observed therapy may lead to higher odds of attaining SVR. Further research on the best ways to use directly observed therapy to administer HCV therapy to people who use drugs is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara L McDermott
- Cara L McDermott,
University of Washington School of Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,
1100 Fairview Avenue North, Mailstop M3-B232,
Seattle,
WA98109,
USA
| | - Catherine M Lockhart
- Biologics and Biosimilars Collective Intelligence Consortium,
Alexandria, VA,
USA
| | - Beth Devine
- CHOICE Institute, School of Pharmacy,
University of Washington,
Seattle,
WA,
USA
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McDermott CL, Lockhart CM, Devine B. Outpatient directly observed therapy for hepatitis C among people who use drugs: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Virus Erad 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/s2055-6640(20)30255-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
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Abstract
India has a large share of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) burden of the world. Unsafe medical practices and blood transfusions are the leading modes of transmission of HCV in India. The commonest HCV genotype in India is genotype 3 followed by genotype 1. While directly acting antivirals (DAAs) agents have become available at reasonable rates in India, cost of therapy remains a major barrier for control of HCV in India. Generic DAAs have been proven to be cost-saving in prior studies. We examined data from various studies in India and elsewhere using generic DAAs, and evaluated whether they are equally efficacious as the branded drugs. Since the availability of generic DAAs in the Indian market, there is a lot of real life data as well as prospective studies in special patient populations such as hematological disorders (thalassemia and hemophilia), chronic kidney disease, hemodialysis patients, post liver and renal transplant patients on immunosuppression, intravenous drug users, confections and other high risk groups. Control of HCV infection in India requires multi pronged approach. There is a need to formulate a health educational curriculum targeting not only the high-risk population but also the general population regarding the transmission of HCV. Adopting the dual approach of treating the old cases (decreasing the reservoir pool of HCV) and decreasing the incidence of new ones would help curtail the disease and decrease liver related mortality. In this scenario, the role of efficacious low cost generic medications is essential.
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Key Words
- ALT, alanine aminotransferase
- CHC, chronic hepatitis C
- CI, confidence interval
- DAAs
- DAAs, direct-acting antiviral agents
- DCV, daclatasvir
- EASL, The European Association for the Study of the Liver
- GT, Genotype
- HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma
- HCV, hepatitis C virus
- IL, interleukin
- INASL, Indian National Association for study of the Liver
- LDV, ledipasvir
- Peg-IFN, pegylated interferon
- RBV, ribavirin
- SOF, sofosbuvir
- SVR, sustained virologic response
- VEL, velpatasvir
- chronic hepatitis C
- generic direct antivirals
- real life efficacy study
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhumita Premkumar
- Department of Hepatology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India
| | | | - Radha K. Dhiman
- Department of Hepatology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India,Address for correspondence: Radha K. Dhiman, Professor, Department of Hepatology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India.Department of Hepatology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and ResearchChandigarh160012India
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