Clinical utility of host genetic IL-28B variants in hepatitis C virus genotype 1 Asian patients retreated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin

Identification of treatment-experienced hepatitis C patients with poor cost-effectiveness of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin from a real-world cohort

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Pegylated interferon (PegIFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy has been the standard of care since 2002. Although a better viral response has been achieved among chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients in Taiwan, approximately 25% of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 (G1) patients and 15% of G2 patients failed to achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) at the first therapy. The actual cost-effectiveness of the retreatment remains elusive. The present study conducted a real-world cost-effectiveness analysis of a large cohort among different pre-specified subgroups of treatment-experienced CHC patients.

METHODS

A total of 117 patients with CHC who failed to achieve SVR at the first IFN-based therapy and received a second IFN-based therapy were enrolled. The inpatient and outpatient costs were acquired from National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. The related medical care costs per treatment and per SVR were calculated.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that the average cost per SVR achieved was $13,722 in treatment-experienced CHC patients. Especially, patients with HCV G1 infection, baseline viral loads > 400,000 IU/mL, advanced hepatic fibrosis, not achieving a rapid viral response at week 4 or complete early viral response at week 12, had poorer cost-effectiveness for PegIFN/RBV retherapy, ranging from around $15,520 to as high as $72,546 per SVR achieved.

CONCLUSION

In the current study, we explored the real-world cost-effectiveness data of PegIFN/RBV for different subgroups of treatment-experienced HCV patients. These findings provide information for policy-makers for making decisions on treatment strategies of costly direct-acting antiviral agents for retreating CHC patients.

Hepatitis C treatment from "response-guided" to "resource-guided" therapy in the transition era from interferon-containing to interferon-free regimens

Peginterferon/ribavirin has been the standard-of-care for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections: 48 weeks for genotype 1 or 4 (HCV-1/4) and 24 weeks for HCV-2/3. Response-guided therapy recommended shorter 24- and 16-week regimens for HCV-1 with lower baseline viral loads (< 400 000-800 000 IU/mL) and rapid virological response (RVR, undetectable HCV RNA at week 4) and HCV-2/3 with RVR, respectively; and extending to 72 and 48 weeks for HCV-1 slower responders and HCV-2 non-RVR patients, respectively, to improve the efficacy. The progress of directly acting antivirals (DAA), moving from interferon-containing regimens in 2011 to interferon-free regimens in 2013, has greatly improved the treatment success. Interferon-containing regimens include boceprevir or telaprevir or simeprevir or daclatasvir plus peginterferon/ribavirin, 24-48 weeks, for HCV-1 or 4. However, adding these DAA has no benefit for HCV-1 with lower baseline viral loads/RVR. Instead, 12-week sofosbuvir plus peginterferon/ribavirin attained sustained virological response rates of > 90% for HCV-1/3-6. Interferon-free regimens include two main categories: NS5B nucleotide inhibitor (sofosbuvir)-based regimens and NS3/4A inhibitor/NS5A inhibitor-based regimens (daclatasvir/asunaprevir, paritaprevir/r/ombitasvir/dasabuvir and grazoprevir/elbasvir). About 8-24 weeks interferon-free regimens could achieve sustained virological response rates of 82-99% for corresponding HCV genotypes. Although the newly DAA interferon-free regimens have high efficacy and safety, the huge budget impact increases the treatment barriers. The current recommendation should, therefore, base on the availability, indication, and cost-effectiveness in the transition era of DAA. Based on the concept of "resource-guided therapy," peginterferon/ribavirin might be applied for easy-to-treat interferon-eligible patients in resource-constrained areas. Prioritizing patients for interferon-free regimens according to "time-degenerative factors" (age and fibrosis) is justified before the regimens becoming available and affordable.

Genetics Variants and Serum Levels of MHC Class I Chain-related A in Predicting Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Post Antiviral Treatment

Background/aims

The genome-wide association study has shown that MHC class I chain-related A (MICA) genetic variants were associated with hepatitis C virus (HCC) related hepatocellular carcinoma. The impact of the genetic variants and its serum levels on post-treatment cohort is elusive.

Methods

MICA rs2596542 genotype and serum MICA (sMICA) levels were evaluated in 705 patients receiving antiviral therapy.

Results

Fifty-eight (8·2%) patients developed HCC, with a median follow-up period of 48·2 months (range: 6–129 months). The MICA A allele was associated with a significantly increased risk of HCC development in cirrhotic non-SVR patients but not in patients of non-cirrhotic and/or with SVR. For cirrhotic non-SVR patients, high sMICA levels (HR/CI: 5·93/1·86–26.38·61, P = 0·002) and the MICA rs2596542 A allele (HR/CI: 4·37/1·52–12·07, P = 0·002) were independently associated with HCC development. The risk A allele or GG genotype with sMICA > 175 ng/mL provided the best accuracy (79%) and a negative predictive value of 100% in predicting HCC.

Conclusions

Cirrhotic patients who carry MICA risk alleles and those without risk alleles but with high sMICA levels possessed the highest risk of HCC development once they failed antiviral therapy.

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MICA rs2596542 SNP predicts HCC development in LC patients with persistent viremia.

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High sMICA levels predicts HCC occurrence in LC patients without SVR

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Combining the 2 surrogate markers enhance the predicting power of HCC.

The genome-wide association study has shown that MHC class I chain-related A (MICA) genetic variants were associated with hepatitis C virus (HCC) related hepatocellular carcinoma. The impact of the genetic variants and its serum levels on post-treatment cohort is elusive. We demonstrated that cirrhotic patients who carry MICA risk alleles and those without risk alleles but with high sMICA levels possessed the highest risk of HCC development once they failed antiviral therapy. Combining the host genetic variants of MICA gene and serum levels of MICA proteins greatly enhanced the predictive power in the high-risk population, which provides insight for closer follow-up strategies and re-treatment priority in the era of direct antiviral agents.

APASL consensus statements and recommendations for hepatitis C prevention, epidemiology, and laboratory testing

The Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) convened an international working party on "APASL consensus statements and recommendations for management of hepatitis C" in March 2015 to revise the "APASL consensus statements and management algorithms for hepatitis C virus infection" (Hepatol Int 6:409-435, 2012). The working party consisted of expert hepatologists from the Asian-Pacific region gathered at the Istanbul Congress Center, Istanbul, Turkey on 13 March 2015. New data were presented, discussed, and debated during the course of drafting a revision. Participants of the consensus meeting assessed the quality of the cited studies. The finalized recommendations for hepatitis C prevention, epidemiology, and laboratory testing are presented in this review.

APASL consensus statements and recommendation on treatment of hepatitis C

The Asian-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) convened an international working party on the "APASL consensus statements and recommendation on management of hepatitis C" in March, 2015, in order to revise "APASL consensus statements and management algorithms for hepatitis C virus infection (Hepatol Int 6:409-435, 2012)". The working party consisted of expert hepatologists from the Asian-Pacific region gathered at Istanbul Congress Center, Istanbul, Turkey on 13 March 2015. New data were presented, discussed and debated to draft a revision. Participants of the consensus meeting assessed the quality of cited studies. Finalized recommendations on treatment of hepatitis C are presented in this review.

Elevated on-treatment levels of serum IFN-gamma is associated with treatment failure of peginterferon plus ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitis C

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection had been associated with cytokine imbalance. Cytokine dynamics in response to peginterferon/ribavirin therapy have an impact on the treatment efficacy for HCV patients. Ninety-two treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C patients were treated with 24 or 48 weeks of peginterferon/ribavirin therapy according to their viral genotypes. Sustained virologic response (SVR) is defined as undetectable HCV RNA throughout a 24-week post-treatment follow-up period. Dynamic serum levels of the following cytokines: (1) Th1-mediated cytokines: IFN-γ, interleukin-2, and TNF-alpha; (2)Th2-mediated cytokines: interleukin-4, interleukin-5, interleukin-6, and interleukin-10 and (3)immuno-modulatory cytokines: interleukin-1β, interleukin-8, and interleukin-12 were determined by Fluorescent Bead immunoassay. Serial dynamic cytokine expression demonstrated that not only elevated IFN-γ concentrations at specific time points but also the total IFN-γ amount was strongly linked to non-response in peginterferon/ribavirin therapy. IFN-γ levels could serve as an independent predictor for SVR analyzed by multivariate logistic regression test. The accuracy of discriminating responders from non-responders was acceptable when IFN-γ cut-off levels were set at 180, 120, and 40 pg/ml at the 4th week, 12th week, and end-of-treatment of therapy, respectively. Elevated on-treatment IFN-γ concentration was significantly associated with treatment failure among interleukin-28B rs8099917TT carriers and those patients failed to achieve rapid virologic response.

IFNL4 ss469415590 polymorphism contributes to treatment decisions in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1b, but not 2a, infection

Recently, the dinucleotide variant ss469415590 (TT/ΔG) in a novel gene, interferon lambda 4 (IFNL4), was identified as a stronger predictor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) clearance in individuals of African ancestry compared with rs12979860. We aimed to determine whether this variant contributes to treatment decisions in a Chinese population. A total of 447 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients (including 328 treated with interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin), 129 individuals who had spontaneously cleared HCV (SHC), and 169 healthy controls were retrospectively investigated. ss469415590 genotyping was performed using a mass spectrometry method (SEQUENOM). A higher proportion of SHC individuals carried the TT/TT genotype compared with CHC patients (95.3% vs. 88.8%, P=0.027). In patients with HCV genotype 1b, the ss469415590 variant was independently associated with sustained virologic response (SVR) (odds ratio [OR]=3.247, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.038-10.159, P=0.043) and on-treatment virological responses, including rapid (RVR), complete early (cEVR), early (EVR), and end-of-treatment (ETVR), with a minimal OR of 3.73. Especially for patients with high viral load (≥4×10(5) IU/ml), ΔG allele carriers had a lower chance of achieving SVR compared with those carrying the TT/TT genotype (7.1% vs. 36.0%, P=0.034, OR [95% CI]=7.24 [1.02-318.45], negative predictive value=92.9%). In patients with HCV genotype 2a, no significant association between the ss154949590 variant and the virological response was identified (P>0.05). Additionally, we found that ss154949590 was in complete linkage disequilibrium with rs12979860. In conclusion, the IFNL4 ss154949590 TT/TT genotype favors spontaneous clearance of HCV. This same variant is associated with treatment-induced clearance in patients with genotype 1b, but not 2a. ss469415590 (or rs12979860) genotyping should be considered for patients with HCV genotype 1b and high viral load when making a choice between standard dual therapy and an IFN-free direct-acting antiviral regimen.

Rapid Prediction of Treatment Futility of Boceprevir with Peginterferon-Ribavirin for Taiwanese Treatment Experienced Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1-Infected Patients

The efficacy and safety of the boceprevir (BOC)-containing triple therapy in Taiwanese treatment-experienced patients remains elusive. After 4 weeks of peginterferon/ribavirin lead-in therapy, patients with cirrhosis or previous null-response received triple therapy for 44 weeks; whereas others received 32 weeks of triple therapy followed by 12 weeks of peginterferon/ribavirin therapy. Patients with HCV RNA > 100 IU/mL at week 12 or with detectable HCV RNA at week 24 of treatment were viewed as futile. A total of 123 patients received treatment. The rates of sustained virological response (SVR) and relapse were 66.7% and 8.9%, respectively by using intention-to-treat analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that factors associated with SVR included HCV-1b (odds ratio [OR]/ 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 19.23/1.76-525.15, P = 0.01), BOC adherence (7.69/1.55-48.78, P = 0.01), serum albumin (OR/CI:6.25/1.14-40.07, P = 0.03) levels and HCV RNA levels (OR/CI:0.34/0.12-0.79, P = 0.01). Twenty-six (21.1%) patients experienced severe adverse events (SAEs). Multivariate analysis revealed that APRI > 1.5 was the single factor associated with occurring SAEs (OR/CI: 3.77/ 0.97-14.98, P = 0.05). Merging the cut-off values of HCV RNA > 7 log IU/mL at baseline and HCV RNA > 6 log IU/mL at week 4 provided the earliest and best combing viral kinetics in predicting week 12/24 futility with the PPV of 100% and accuracy of 93.5%. HCV-1 treatment experienced Taiwanese patients treated with boceprevir-containing triple therapy in real world had comparable efficacy and safety profiles with those reported in clinical trials. Early viral kinetics before week 4 of treatment highly predicted futility at week 12 or 24 of treatment.

Features of hepatitis C virus infection, current therapies and ongoing clinical trials in ten Asian Pacific countries

Estimated hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection rates in the general populations were 1.3, 0.9, 0.4-1.0, 14.7, 0.1-0.3, 0.9-1.9, 1.0-2.0, 5, 4.4-8.6 and 0.5-1.3 % in Australia, Bangladesh, Mainland China, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Pakistan, Taiwan and Turkey, respectively. The main HCV genotypes (Gs) are G1, G3, G1b, G4, G1b, G3, G1b, G3, G1b and G2, and G1 in Australia, Bangladesh, Mainland China, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Pakistan, Taiwan and Turkey, respectively. Of IL28B genotypes, favorable alleles are ~50 % in Australia and Turkey, but 60-70 % in most of the other Asian countries. Peginterferon plus ribavirin is available in all ten Asian Pasific countries. In addition, HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitors with peginterferon plus ribavirin are currently available in several countries. Clinical trials of interferon-free regimens for HCV are ongoing in most of the ten Asian Pacific countries.

High hepatitis B virus surface antigen levels and favorable interleukin 28B genotype predict spontaneous hepatitis C virus clearance in uremic patients

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Host and viral factors interplay in the spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We aimed to explore the roles of IL28B genotypes and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in spontaneous HCV seroclearance.

METHODS

IL28B rs8099917 genotypes, HCV and HBV markers were determined in 290 patients who were seropositive for HCV antibodies from 1681 total uremic patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

RESULTS

Persistent HCV viremia was observed in 74.6% (214/287) of patients. Logistic regression revealed that the strongest factors associated with spontaneous HCV seroclearance were carriage of rs8099917 TT-type (odds ratio/95% confidence intervals [OR/CI]: 6.22/1.41-27.35, p=0.016), followed by concurrent hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seropositivity (OR/CI: 2.37/1.06-5.26, p=0.035). The clearance rate was highest among patients with both positive HBsAg/rs8099917 TT-type (44.8%, OR/CI: 20.88/3.5-402.5), followed by positive HBsAg/rs8099917 non-TT-type (28.6%, OR/CI: 8.86/1.8-160.8), and negative HBsAg/rs8099917 TT-type (26.7%, OR/CI: 12.75/1.0-319.4), compared to 4% of negative HBsAg/rs8099917 non-TT-type (trend p=0.0002). HBsAg levels, but not HBV DNA levels, were significantly associated with spontaneous HCV seroclearance. Spontaneous HCV seroclearance rate was 58.3% in patients with HBsAg>200IU/ml/rs8099917 TT-type (OR/CI: 42.54/5.7-908.4), 28.0% in patients with HBsAg<200IU/ml/rs8099917 TT-type or HBsAg>200IU/ml/rs8099917 non-TT-type (OR/CI: 11.12/2.3-201.0), compared to only 3.3% in those with HBsAg<200IU/ml/rs8099917 non-TT-type (trend p=0.0004). Five of 214 (2.3%) HCV viremic patients at enrollment had spontaneous HCV seroclearance during one-year follow-up, which was associated with baseline HCV RNA and HBsAg levels.

CONCLUSIONS

High HBsAg levels and favorable IL28B genotype were additively associated with spontaneous HCV seroclearance in uremic patients.

Value of interleukin-28B genetic polymorphism on retreatment outcomes of chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 relapsers by peginterferon alfa plus ribavirin

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection is a leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy remains the standard of care for CHC genotype 1 in many Asian countries, and single nucleotide polymorphism or genotype of the interleukin-28B (IL28B) gene is associated with the development of sustained virologic response (SVR). The predictive value of IL28B genotype for retreatment outcomes of patients with CHC was only partly clarified and deserves further investigation.

METHODS

A total of 75 CHC genotype 1 Taiwanese patients who relapsed after 24-week PEG-IFN/RBV combination therapy and received retreatment with a 48-week PEG-IFN/RBV therapy were consecutively enrolled since November 2009. The associations among IL28B rs8099917 genotype, virologic kinetics, and treatment outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS

Rapid virologic response (RVR) at week 4, end-of-treatment virologic response (EOT-VR) and SVR was 37%, 73%, and 52%, respectively. Relapse rate was 29%. None of patients had rs8099917 GG genotype. Patients with TT genotype (n = 54, 72%) had higher rates of RVR (50% vs 5%, P = 0.0002), end-of-treatment virologic response (85% vs 43%, P = 0.0001), and SVR (67% vs 14%, P = 0.0001) than those with GT genotype (n = 21, 28%). Combination of IL28B TT genotype and achieving RVR had 85% positive and 90% negative predictive values of SVR.

CONCLUSIONS

About half of the Taiwanese CHC relapsers to a previous 24-week combination therapy achieve SVR after retreatment for 48 weeks. IL28B genotype influences on-treatment viral kinetics and SVR rate in these retreated patients. Baseline IL28B genotype and RVR can serve as early predictors for treatment success.