CATIE’s HepCInfo Update 5.24

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Harvoni cures 98% of Hep C and HIV co-infected participants with genotype 1 virus
98% of Hep C and HIV co-infected participants with genotype 1 virus who took Harvoni (ledipasvir + sofosbuvir) during a 12-week clinical trial were cured, reported researchers at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Meeting in Boston.

Harvoni consists of two direct-acting anti-viral medications, ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, which are co-formulated into one pill that is taken once per day.

The clinical trial included 50 participants who had never been treated before (treatment naïve). People with severe liver damage (cirrhosis) were excluded. Participants had well-controlled HIV.

Reported side effects included fatigue, sore throat, diarrhea, nausea and headache. Serious side effects were rare.

“Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in HCV/ HIV coinfected patients with sofosbuvir/ledipasvir was effective and well-tolerated, suggesting HIV infection may not be a major determinant of treatment outcome with sofosbuvir/ ledipasvir therapy,” the researchers concluded. (HIVandHepatitis.com, November 2014, in English)

 

AbbVie 3D combination shows high cure rates for people with HIV and Hep C co-infection
In a late-stage 12-week trial of the AbbVie 3D combination plus ribavirin for people with genotype 1 Hep C virus who are co-infected with HIV, 94% of participants were cured, reported researchers at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in Boston.

The AbbVie 3D combination consists of:

  • paritaprevir, ombitasvir and ritonavir, in a once-daily co-formulation
  • dasabuvir, taken twice per day
  • This combination was also tested with ribavirin.

63 participants took the AbbVie 3D combination plus ribavirin for 12 or 24 weeks. The participants that took treatment for 24 weeks had a 91% cure rate.

Participants were a mix of people who had never been treated before (treatment naïve) and those who were treatment experienced. Just under one-fifth had severe liver damage (cirrhosis).

Participants had well-controlled HIV. This treatment combination was generally well tolerated. The most common side effects were fatigue, insomnia, nausea, and headache.

“The high rates of virologic response and low rates of treatment discontinuation in the broadly representative cohort of HIV/HCV coinfected patients are consistent with results reported for the 3D + ribavirin combination in patients with HCV genotype 1 infection alone,” the researchers concluded. (HIVandHepatitis.com, November2014, in English)

 

Daclatasvir and sofosbuvir demonstrate good cure rates for people with genotype 3
A late stage 12-week trial of daclatasvir and sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) reported cure rates of 90% for participants with genotype 3 hepatitis C virus who had never been treated and 86% for participants who had previously been treated but did not respond to treatment, reported researchers at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in Boston.

Genotype 3 has emerged as a virus strain that does not respond as well as other genotypes to new hepatitis C treatments. People with genotype 3 virus are also more likely to develop liver damage and liver cancer than people with other viral genotypes, making it important to find an effective treatment for people with this genotype.

In the current study, 152 participants received both daclatasvir and sofosbuvir once daily for 12 weeks. Just over one-fifth of participants had severe liver damage (cirrhosis). These participants had a lower cure rate of 70%.

The most common side effects were headache, fatigue and anemia.

“Daclatasvir + sofosbuvir for a shorter 12-week duration achieved high SVR12 rates in patients with genotype 3 infection,” the researchers concluded. “High SVR rates of 96% were achieved in patients without cirrhosis.” (HIVandhepatitis.com, November 2014, in English)