Interferon treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis C complicated with chronic renal failure receiving hemodialysis

Interferon-Based Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Reduces All-Cause Mortality in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease: An 8-Year Nationwide Cohort Study in Taiwan

The long-term survival of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who received interferon treatment has not been extensively evaluated.The HCV cohort was the ESRD patients with de novo HCV infection from 2004 to 2011; they were classified into treated and untreated groups according to interferon therapy records. Patients aged <20 years and those with a history of hepatitis B, kidney transplantation, or cancer were excluded. The control cohort included ESRD patients without HCV infection matched 4:1 to the HCV cohort by age, sex, and year of ESRD registration. We followed up all study participants until kidney transplantation, death, or the end of 2011, whichever came first. We assessed risk of all-cause mortality by using the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model with time-dependent covariate.In the HCV cohort, 134 patients (6.01%) received interferon treatment. Compared with the uninfected control cohort, the treated group had a lower risk of death (hazard ratio 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22-0.99). The untreated group had a 2.62-fold higher risk (95% CI 1.24-5.55) of death compared with the treated group. For the HCV cohort without cirrhosis or hepatoma, the risk of death in the treated group was further markedly reduced (hazard ratio 0.17, 95% CI 0.04-0.68) compared with that in the control cohort.For ESRD patients with HCV infection, receiving interferon treatment is associated with a survival advantage. Such an advantage is more prominent in HCV patients without cirrhosis or hepatoma.

Pegylated Interferon Mono-Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis C in the Dialysis Population: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The medical literature on mono-therapy with pegylated interferon for chronic hepatitis C in dialysis patients is mostly based on small clinical studies and the efficacy and safety of such approach is still unclear. A systematic review of the literature with a meta-analysis of clinical studies was performed in order to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mono-therapy with pegylated interferon of chronic hepatitis C in patients on regular dialysis. The primary outcome was sustained viral response (as a measure of efficacy); the secondary outcome was drop-out rate (as a measure of tolerability). The random-effects model of Der Simonian and Laird was used, with heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses. Twenty-four clinical studies (N = 744 unique patients) were retrieved; five (21%) being randomized controlled trials. The summary estimate for sustained viral response and drop-out rate was 0.40 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35; 0.46) and 0.14 (95% CI, 0.09; 0.20), respectively. The most frequent side-effects requiring discontinuation of treatment were hematological (31/83 = 37%) and gastrointestinal (9/31 = 10.8%). Meta-regression analysis showed a detrimental role of ageing on the frequency of sustained virological response (P = 0.01); drop-out rate was greater in diabetics (P < 0.005). Important heterogeneity was seen with regard to drop-out rate only. In summary, pegylated interferon monotherapy of hepatitis C in dialysis patients resulted unsatisfactory in terms of efficacy and safety. Studies with novel direct-acting antiviral agents in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin for the treatment of hepatitis C virus in dialysis population are under way.

Efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon base treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C on dialysis

INTRODUCTION

Patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis are difficult to treat and show higher dropout rates during treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze the treatment outcomes in patients with CHC and underlying end-stage renal disease on dialysis in Korea.

METHODS

A retrospective multi-center study of 35 patients with CHC and underlying ESRD on regular dialysis from 13 centers were analyzed. We investigated the tolerability and efficacy of pegylated interferon therapy with or without ribavirin on dialysis patients.

RESULTS

Twenty patients (57%) were genotype 1. Sixteen patients (46%) were treated with pegylated interferon monotherapy. Nineteen patients (54%) were treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. The overall sustained virological response (SVR) rate was 65.7% in all subjects. Thirteen patients (37%) dropped out before completion of treatment, and six patients (46.2%) showed SVR despite premature termination of treatment. Twenty patients (90.9%) achieved SVR among the 22 patients who completed the scheduled course. The most common side effects were anemia and neutropenia. The patients receiving ribavirin treatment showed a higher dropout rate (52.6% vs. 18.8%, p=0.04) and higher SVR rate (68.4% vs. 62.5%, p=0.07) compared to the pegylated interferon mono-treatment group.

CONCLUSIONS

The difficulty in treating HCV patients with ESRD was attributed to higher dropout rate. However, despite the high dropout rate (37%), the SVR rate in genotype 1 was 65% and in genotypes 2 and 3 was 66%. Patients who completed the treatment showed a high SVR rate of 89.5%.

Peginterferon alfa-2a with or without low-dose ribavirin for treatment-naive patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 2 receiving haemodialysis: a randomised trial

OBJECTIVE

Data comparing the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with peginterferon plus low-dose ribavirin and peginterferon monotherapy in treatment-naive haemodialysis patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 2 (HCV-2) infection are limited.

DESIGN

In this randomised trial, 172 patients received 24 weeks of peginterferon alfa-2a 135 μg/week plus ribavirin 200 mg/day (n=86) or peginterferon alfa-2a 135 μg/week (n=86). The efficacy and safety endpoints were sustained virological response (SVR) rate and adverse event (AE)-related withdrawal rate.

RESULTS

Compared with monotherapy, combination therapy had a greater SVR rate (74% vs 44%, relative risk (RR): 1.68 [95% CI 1.29 to 2.20]; p<0.001). The beneficial effect of combination therapy was more pronounced in patients with baseline viral load ≥800,000 IU/mL than those with baseline viral load <800,000 IU/mL (RR: 3.08 [95% CI 1.80 to 5.29] vs. RR: 1.11 [95% CI 0.83 to 1.45]; interaction p=0.001). Patients receiving combination therapy were more likely to have a haemoglobin level of <8.5 g/dL (70% vs. 8%, risk difference (RD): 62% [95% CI 50% to 73%]; p<0.001) and required a higher dosage [mean: 13,417 vs. 6667 IU/week, p=0.027] of epoetin β to manage anaemia than those receiving monotherapy. The AE-related withdrawal rates were 6% and 3% in combination therapy and monotherapy groups, respectively (RD: 2% [95% CI -4% to 9%]).

CONCLUSIONS

In treatment-naive haemodialysis patients with HCV-2 infection, combination therapy with peginterferon plus low-dose ribavirin achieved a greater SVR rate than peginterferon monotherapy. Most haemodialysis patients can tolerate combination therapy.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ClinicalTrial.gov number, NCT00491244.

Efficacy and safety of hepatitis C antiviral therapy in moderate and severe chronic kidney disease

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Though indicated, antiviral therapy adds to the existing financial burden and is poorly tolerated in these patients. We studied HCV treatment outcomes in patients with moderate and severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) between June 2010 and June 2012. Out of 46 patients with CKD, only 16 (genotype 1:6, 3:9, indeterminate 1) received interferon treatment (conventional 9, pegylated 7; with low-dose ribavirin 5). End of treatment response was achieved in 50 % and sustained viral response in 44 %. Adverse effects such as tuberculosis, anemia, and cardiac failure resulting in discontinuation of therapy were seen in three. The dropout rate was 38 %. Though interferon therapy was efficacious and safe, it was received by only 35 % of patients with CKD. We suggest that antiviral therapy be offered under close monitoring in the absence of contraindications in patients with moderate and severe CKD.

Nanomedicines in the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in Asian patients: optimizing use of peginterferon alfa

Asia is endemic for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, which is the leading cause of cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver transplantation worldwide. HCV has six major genotypes and each HCV genotype has its specific geographic distribution. HCV genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 6 are common in Asia. The aim of HCV treatment is to eradicate the virus by effective therapeutic agents; viral clearance is durable after long-term post-treatment follow-up. In most Asian countries, peginterferon alfa (PEG-IFN α) in combination with ribavirin remains the standard of care, and the overall sustained viral response (SVR) rate in Asian HCV patients is higher than that in Western patients. The differences are most significant in patients with HCV genotype 1 (HCV-1) infection, which is attributed to the higher frequency of IFN-responsive or favorable interleukin-28B (IL-28B) genotype in Asian populations than in other ethnic populations. In addition, the introduction of response-guided therapy, where the optimized treatment duration is based on the early viral kinetics during the first 12 weeks of treatment, increases the SVR rate. Recently, telaprevir or boceprevir-based triple therapy was found to further improve the SVR rate in treated and untreated HCV-1 patients and has become the new standard of care in Western and some Asian countries. Many novel direct-acting antiviral agents, either in combination with PEG-IFN α plus ribavirin or used as IFN-free regimens are under active investigation. At the time of this writing, simeprevir and sofosbuvir have been approved in the US. Because the SVR rates in Asian HCV patients receiving PEG-IFN α plus ribavirin therapy are high, health care providers should judiciously determine the clinical usefulness of these novel agents on the basis of treatment duration, anticipated viral responses, patient tolerance, financial burdens, and drug accessibility.