HCV kinetic and modeling analyses indicate similar time to cure among sofosbuvir combination regimens with daclatasvir, simeprevir or ledipasvir

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Recent clinical trials of direct-acting-antiviral agents (DAAs) against hepatitis C virus (HCV) achieved >90% sustained virological response (SVR) rates, suggesting that cure often took place before the end of treatment (EOT). We sought to evaluate retrospectively whether early response kinetics can provide the basis to individualize therapy to achieve optimal results while reducing duration and cost.

METHODS

58 chronic HCV patients were treated with 12-week sofosbuvir+simeprevir (n=19), sofosbuvir+daclatasvir (n=19), or sofosbuvir+ledipasvir in three French referral centers. HCV was measured at baseline, day 2, every other week, EOT and 12weeks post EOT. Mathematical modeling was used to predict the time to cure, i.e., <1 virus copy in the entire extracellular body fluid.

RESULTS

All but one patient who relapsed achieved SVR. Mean age was 60±11years, 53% were male, 86% HCV genotype-1, 9% HIV coinfected, 43% advanced fibrosis (F3), and 57% had cirrhosis. At weeks 2, 4 and 6, 48%, 88% and 100% of patients had HCV<15IU/ml, with 27%, 74% and 91% of observations having target not detected, respectively. Modeling results predicted that 23 (43%), 16 (30%), 7 (13%), 5 (9%) and 3 (5%) subjects were predicted to reach cure within 6, 8, 10, 12 and 13weeks of therapy, respectively. The modeling suggested that the patient who relapsed would have benefitted from an additional week of sofosbuvir+ledipasvir. Adjusting duration of treatment according to the modeling predicts reduced medication costs of 43-45% and 17-30% in subjects who had HCV<15IU/ml at weeks 2 and 4, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of early viral kinetic analysis has the potential to individualize duration of DAA therapy with a projected average cost saving of 16-20% per 100-treated persons.

Optimal therapy of genotype-2 chronic hepatitis C: what's new?

The standard of care (SOC) for the treatment of HCV genotype 2 (HCV-2) was pegylated interferon alpha plus ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) at weight-based doses for a response-guided duration. The launches of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir in 2014 have resulted in new, better tolerated and shorter treatment. The combination of sofosbuvir and RBV for 12 weeks appears to be the new SOC in both European and American guidelines. The cost and therefore the access to this treatment remains a problem in many countries because of major economic constraints. For the few more difficult-to-treat patients, a combination of direct acting antivirals may be suitable and is being studied in ongoing trials. Because of rapidly changing treatment recommendations, the decision to treat HCV-2 patients with currently approved drugs or to wait until a better option is available in the future, must be made according to the stage of fibrosis.

Choreoathetosis after cardiac surgery with hypothermia and extracorporeal circulation

Eleven children, 4-48 months old, with congenital cyanotic heart defects developed choreoathetoid movements 2-12 days after cardiac surgery with hypothermia and extracorporeal circulation (ECC). The abnormal movements mainly involved the limbs, facial musculature, and tongue, leading to a severe dysphagia. The symptoms had an acute onset, after a period of apparent neurologic normality, and had a variable outcome. Of the nine children that survive, three had abnormal movements when last seen (41 days to 12 months of follow-up). The other six children had a complete regression of the choreoathetoid movements 1-4 weeks after onset. No specific finding was observed in the CT scans, cerebrospinal fluid examination, or EEG that could be related to the abnormal movements. Symptomatic therapy with haloperidol with or without benzodiazepines led to symptomatic improvement in six children, although there was no evidence that this treatment modified the evolution of the disease. The authors conclude that the choreoathetoid syndrome after cardiac surgery with deep hypothermia and ECC is an ill-defined entity requiring additional study to better understand its pathogenesis so that preventive measures can be taken to avoid a condition that can lead to permanent and incapacitating neurologic sequelae.

[Neonate and infant heart transplantation]

PURPOSE

Heart transplantation has offered children with complex congenital heart diseases and severe cardiomyopathies a chance for survival. The present article was written to show the three year experience of this procedure at the Instituto do Coração-HCFMUSP.

METHODS

The methodology used was based on heart transplant indication criteria, inclusion criteria for donors, postoperative management, immunosuppression and prophylaxis as well as treatment of potential complications.

RESULTS

From November 1992 to November 1995, 11 children, aged 12 days old to six years (mean 2.5 years) underwent transplantation. Sixty percent of recipients were male; weight ranged from 3.5 to 17.8 kg (mean 10.3 kg). The mean age of donors was 4.4 years (a range of three weeks to ten years), 80% male, weight ranging from 3.8 to 20 kg (median 14.3 kg). The survival rate was 91% and the remaining 10 children are doing well. The most important complications were systemic hypertension, acute rejection and infection. The number of rejections and infections per patient were 3.5 and 4.7 episodes, respectively. The follow-up was between one month to three years (average 16 months).

CONCLUSION

In this experience, heart transplantation has given an additional opportunity for children with complex congenital heart diseases and cardiomyopathies, with a survival rate of 91% in three years.

[Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery. Concomitant correction with valvar replacement for mitral insufficiency]

A four year-old boy with an anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (LCA) directly from the right pulmonary artery was reported. He had been underwent to mitral valve replacement by a St Judes no. 29, due to severe mitral insufficiency, secondary to an extensive myocardial infarction including the anterior and posterior papilary muscles, beside the implantation of the LCA in the aorta. Instead of this favorable outcome, it's emphasized the need for earlier recognition to avoid risk sequelae.

Left ventricular apical approach for the surgical treatment of congenital mitral stenosis

From June 1987 to October 1991, 12 patients with congenital mitral valve stenosis underwent surgical correction. Their ages ranged from 2 to 74 months. Nine patients were less than 22 months of age. Five patients were in New York Heart Association functional class IV, and seven patients were in class III. In nine, parachute-type mitral stenosis was clearly definite. In three, a complex congenital valvular and subvalvular stenosis was found. Associated anomalies were present in every patient; five had undergone previous operations. Correction of the mitral stenosis was done through an apical left ventriculotomy. The removal of the mitral obstruction starts from below; the papillary muscle was split and the chordae were divided or fenestrated. The commissurotomies were performed from the ventricular aspect of the mitral valve. Associated anomalies were corrected simultaneously. The operative mortality rate was zero. There was one late death, which was unrelated to cardiovascular status. The echocardiographic serial postoperative studies (up to 52 months) showed no significant residual mitral stenosis and normal global and regional function of the left ventricle in all but one patient.

A technique for correction of truncus arteriosus types I and II without extracardiac conduits

A new corrective operation for truncus arteriosus without the use of an extracardiac conduit was performed in seven patients with truncus type I (six patients) or type II (one patient) aged from 2 to 9 months. The common truncus arteriosus was septated with a patch into aortic and pulmonary segments and the ventricular septal defect was closed through a ventriculotomy. A direct anastomosis between the pulmonary arteries and the right ventricle was performed, the anterior wall being constructed with a patch with a monocusp valve. There was one death in the immediate postoperative period. In the surviving six patients the postoperative right ventricular/left ventricular peak systolic pressure ratio was less than 0.51 in five and 0.60 in one with a residual ventricular septal defect. All are in functional class I between 1 and 14 months after the operation. On the basis of these results, we propose this technique for patients with truncus type I or II in the first year of life.

Activation of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase and B-2 microglobulin in cancer patients treated with partially pure gamma interferon: dependence of biological effect on administration route

Partially pure immune (gamma) interferon (IFN-gamma) was administered to patients intramuscularly (IM), by rapid IV bolus, and by 6-h continuous infusion as part of a phase I clinical trial. The activity of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2,5 A) in peripheral blood cells and the concentration of beta-2 microglobulin (B-2M) in serum were monitored as indicators of interferon biological activity in vivo. Five patients received IFN-gamma by the IM route in doses ranging from 6.5 X 10(5) to 9.6 X 10(6) antiviral units daily. There was little induction either of serum B-2M or of 2,5A in peripheral blood cells. Eight patients received IFN-gamma by rapid (5 min) IV bolus infusion in doses ranging from 6.5 X 10(5) to 54 X 10(6) antiviral units daily. As with IM administration, there was little significant induction of 2,5A synthetase, but the concentration of B-2M was increased above pretherapy values in most patients. Eleven patients received IFN-gamma by 6-h infusion daily for 10 days at a dosage of 27 X 10(6) units/day. In contrast to IM and IV bolus administration, 6-h infusion of IFN-gamma resulted in significant induction of both B-2M serum concentration and of 2,5A activity in all patients. The induction of 2,5A was highest on days 2 and 4 of therapy and decreased to pretherapy values by day 7. During the second 10-day course of the infusion study 2,5A activity was not induced until day 7 of therapy, and it decreased rapidly thereafter. These studies show clearly that consistent biological activity such as B-2M activation and specific intracellular biochemical events such as 2,5A induction may be optimally obtained by the administration of IFN-gamma by continuous IV infusion.