Comparison of three therapeutic regimens for genotype-3 hepatitis C virus infection in a large real-life multicentre cohort

Real-world experience with direct-acting antiviral therapy in HCV-infected patients with cirrhosis and esophageal varices

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects 50 million people worldwide with around 242,000 deaths annually, mainly due to complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Portal hypertension (PH) caused by cirrhosis leads to severe consequences, including esophageal varices (EV). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment in patients with and without EV.

METHODS

This retrospective analysis involved consecutive HCV-infected adults undergoing DAA therapy at 22 Polish hepatology centers from July 1, 2015, to December 31, 2022. Patients with cirrhosis were categorized based on the presence of EV diagnosed by gastroscopy. Treatment effectiveness was measured by sustained virologic response (SVR), with safety outcomes monitored for 12 weeks post-treatment.

RESULTS

A population of 3393 HCV-infected patients with cirrhosis was divided into groups with (A, n = 976) and without (B, n = 2417) EV. Group A showed a significantly higher prevalence of comorbidities and concomitant medications. Genotype (GT)1b infections predominated in both groups, and GT3 infections were more common in the EV group. Group A exhibited more severe liver disease, and higher rates of decompensation, HCC, and HBV co-infection. SVR was significantly higher in group B (91.5% vs. 96.3%, p < 0.0001). Male gender, GT3, EV presence, and Child-Pugh grade B were identified as independent negative SVR predictors. Group A had a worse safety profile, with notably higher adverse event incidence and mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

DAA therapies are highly effective and well tolerated in patients with cirrhosis, but EV presence predicts poorer virologic responses.

Decade of optimizing therapy with direct-acting antiviral drugs and the changing profile of patients with chronic hepatitis C

Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a major health problem affecting approximately 58 million people worldwide. In the era of interferon (IFN)-based regimens, patients particularly infected with genotypes 1 and 4 achieved a low response rate. The implementation of direct-acting antivirals changed the landscape of HCV treatment. The increase in effectiveness provided us with the hope of eliminating HCV as a significant public threat by 2030. In the following years, there was an observed improvement in the treatment of HCV with genotype-specific regimens and highly effective pangenotypic options that are the most recent stage of the revolution. The optimization of therapy was accompanied by changes in the patient profile from the beginning of the IFN-free era over time. Patients treated with antiviral therapies were younger in successive periods, less burdened with comorbidities and comedications, more frequently treatment-naïve and had less advanced liver disease. Before the IFN-free era, specific subpopulations such as patients with HCV/HIV coinfection, those with a history of previous treatment, patients with renal impairment or with cirrhosis had lower chances for a virologic response. Currently, these populations should no longer be considered difficult to treat. Despite the high effectiveness of HCV therapy, there is a small percentage of patients with treatment failure. However, they can be effectively retreated with pangenotypic rescue regimens.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of pan-genotypic antiviral therapy for chronic HCV-infection: data from three clinical centers in St. Petersburg

   The aim of the analysis was to describe the results of administration of pan-genotype antiviral therapy (glecaprevir / pibrentasvir, GLE / PIB) in real-world setting in three clinical centers in St. Petersburg within the city program for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.   Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of the GLE / PIB usage of in the period from 2019 to 2022 within the city program for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in St. Petersburg was carried out.   Results. The analysis included 464 patients treated in three clinical centers of St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg State Medical Institution “Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital named after S. P. Botkin”, St. Petersburg State Medical Institution “Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and Infectious Diseases” and the Clinic of Infectious Diseases of the Military Medical Academy named after S. M.Kirov”. Overall 452 out of 464 patients (97 %) achieved SVR12. According to the duration of treatment, SVR12 rates were the following: 8 weeks – 97.7 % (419 / 429), 12 weeks – 92.9 % (26 / 28) and 16 weeks – 100 % (7 / 7). The effectiveness according to fibrosis stage was as follows: F0 – 97 % (142 / 146), F1 – 100 % (74 / 74), F2 – 100 % (59 / 59), F3 – 98 % (57 / 58), F4 (CP-A, B) – 94 % (118 / 125). SVR12 according to HCV genotypes and subtypes was the following: genotype 1b – 100 % (63 / 63), genotype 1a – 91 % (21 / 23), genotype 1 unspecified – 100 % (23 / 23), genotype 2 – 98 % (50 / 51), genotype 3 – 97 % (292 / 301). In patients with an indeterminate genotype, the efficacy was 100 % (7 / 7). Antiviral therapy was well tolerated, there were no cases of discontinuation of therapy, as well as cases of the development of serious adverse events.

   Conclusion. GLE / PIB has demonstrated high effectiveness in the real-world setting in patients infected with prevalent genotypes of HCV, including those with genotype 3 and compensated liver cirrhosis. The results of our analysis fully correspond to the data obtained earlier in clinical trials andreal-world setting.

Effectiveness and Safety of Sofosbuvir-Velpatasvir in Patients with Cirrhosis Associated with Genotype 3 Hepatitis C Infection in Xinjiang, China

Purpose

Patients with cirrhosis from genotype 3 (GT3) hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are difficult to cure. This study investigated the effectiveness and safety of sofosbuvir-velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) with and without ribavirin (RBV) in patients with GT3 HCV-infection-related cirrhosis from Xinjiang, China.

Patients and Methods

This study included 33 patients with GT3 HCV infected cirrhosis, who were treated with either SOF/VEL+RBV for 12 weeks (n = 27) or SOF/VEL alone for 24 weeks (n = 6) between January 2019 and June 2021. The primary endpoint was a sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR12), post-treatment. Secondary endpoints included changes from baseline in Child-Pugh-Turcotte scores, clinical results, hepatic-encephalopathy status, ascites, and gastrointestinal bleeding at 12 weeks, post-treatment.

Results

Out of the 33 patients, 18 (54.6%) were diagnosed with GT3a, 15 (45.4%) with GT3b, 16 (48.5%) with compensated cirrhosis, and 17 (51.5%) with decompensated cirrhosis. SVR12 was 87.9% (compensated cirrhosis: 93.8%, decompensated cirrhosis: 82.4%). The Child-Pugh-Turcotte scores improved at 12 weeks (p < 0.05). Total bilirubin, albumin, and alanine transaminase levels, as well as hepatic-encephalopathy were significantly improved among patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis (p < 0.05). The blood cell count and serum creatinine levels did not deteriorate.

Conclusion

SOF/VEL, with and without RBV, was effective, safe, and well-tolerated as a treatment for GT3 HCV associated cirrhosis.

Hepatitis C virus: A critical approach to who really needs treatment

Introduction of effective drugs in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global eradication target by 2030. Propositions have been made to screen the general population and treat all HCV carriers irrespective of the disease status. A year ago the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus appeared causing a worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 disease. Huge financial resources were redirected, and the pandemic became the first priority in every country. In this review, we examined the feasibility of the World Health Organization elimination program and the actual natural course of HCV infection. We also identified and analyzed certain comorbidity factors that may aggravate the progress of HCV and some marginalized subpopulations with characteristics favoring HCV dissemination. Alcohol consumption, HIV coinfection and the presence of components of metabolic syndrome including obesity, hyperuricemia and overt diabetes were comorbidities mostly responsible for increased liver-related morbidity and mortality of HCV. We also examined the significance of special subpopulations like people who inject drugs and males having sex with males. Finally, we proposed a different micro-elimination screening and treatment program that can be implemented in all countries irrespective of income. We suggest that screening and treatment of HCV carriers should be limited only in these particular groups.

Dysmetabolism, Diabetes and Clinical Outcomes in Patients Cured of Chronic Hepatitis C: A Real-Life Cohort Study

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of features of dysmetabolism on liver disease severity, evolution, and clinical outcomes in a real‐life cohort of patients treated with direct acting antivirals for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. To this end, we considered 7,007 patients treated between 2014 and 2018, 65.3% with advanced fibrosis, of whom 97.7% achieved viral eradication (NAVIGATORE‐Lombardia registry). In a subset (n = 748), liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was available at baseline and follow‐up. Higher body mass index (BMI; odds ratio [OR] 1.06 per kg/m², 1.03‐1.09) and diabetes (OR 2.01 [1.65‐2.46]) were independently associated with advanced fibrosis at baseline, whereas statin use was protective (OR 0.46 [0.35‐0.60]; P < 0.0001 for all). The impact of BMI was greater in those without diabetes (P = 0.003). Diabetes was independently associated with less pronounced LSM improvement after viral eradication (P = 0.001) and in patients with advanced fibrosis was an independent predictor of the most frequent clinical events, namely de novo hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; hazard ratio [HR] 2.09 [1.20‐3.63]; P = 0.009) and cardiovascular events (HR 2.73 [1.16‐6.43]; P = 0.021). Metformin showed a protective association against HCC (HR 0.32 [0.11‐0.96]; P = 0.043), which was confirmed after adjustment for propensity score (P = 0.038). Diabetes diagnosis further refined HCC prediction in patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease at high baseline risk (P = 0.024). Conclusion: Metabolic comorbidities were associated with advanced liver fibrosis at baseline, whereas statins were protective. In patients with advanced fibrosis, diabetes increased the risk of de novo HCC and of cardiovascular events. Optimization of metabolic comorbidities treatment by a multi‐disciplinary management approach may improve cardiovascular and possibly liver‐related outcomes.

Resistance analysis and treatment outcomes in hepatitis C virus genotype 3-infected patients within the Italian network VIRONET-C

AIM

This study aimed to investigate the role of resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) to direct-acting-antivirals (DAAs) in HCV genotype 3 (GT3).

METHODS

Within the Italian VIRONET-C network, a total of 539 GT3-infected patients (417 DAA-naïve and 135 DAA-failures, of them, 13 at both baseline and failure) were analysed. Sanger sequencing of NS3/NS5A/NS5B was performed following home-made protocols.

RESULTS

The majority of patients were male (79.4%), 91.4% were injection drug users, 49.3% were cirrhotic and 13.9% were HIV co-infected. Phylogenetic analysis classified sequences as GT3a-b-g-h (98%-0.4%-0.2%-1.2%) respectively. Overall, 135 patients failed a DAA regimen: sofosbuvir (SOF)/daclatasvir (DCV) or velpatasvir (VEL)±ribavirin (RBV) (N = 91/15) and glecaprevir (G)/pibrentasvir (P) (N = 9). Moreover, 14.8% of patients were treated with suboptimal regimens for GT3: 3D ± RBV (Paritaprevir/r + Ombitasvir+Dasabuvir, N = 15), SOF + Simeprevir (SIM) (N = 1) or SOF/Ledipasvir (LDV) ± RBV (N = 4). RAS prevalence was 15.8% in DAA-naïve patients. At failure, 81.5% patients showed at least one RAS: 11/25 (44.0%) in NS3, 109/135 (80.7%) in NS5A, 7/111 (6.3%) in NS5B SOF-failures. In NS5A-failures, Y93H RAS was the most prevalent (68.5% vs 5.1% DAA-naïve, P < .001) followed by A30K (12.7% vs 2.8% in DAA-naïve, P < .001). Analysing baseline samples, a higher prevalence of NS5A-RASs was observed before treatment in DAA-failures (5/13, 38.5%) vs DAA-naïves (61/393, 15.5%, P = .04). Regarding 228 DAA-naïve patients with an available outcome, 93.9% achieved a SVR. Interestingly, patients with baseline Y93H and/or A30K had SVR rate of 72.2% vs 95.7% for patients without NS5A-RASs (P = .002).

CONCLUSIONS

In this real-life GT3 cohort, the majority of failures harboured resistant variants carrying NS5A-RASs, the most frequent being Y93H. The presence of natural NS5A-RASs before treatment was associated with failure. Further analyses are needed to confirm this observation, particularly for the new current regimens.

Effectiveness and Safety of Pangenotypic Regimens in the Most Difficult to Treat Population of Genotype 3 HCV Infected Cirrhotics

There is still limited data available from real-world experience studies on the pangenotypic regimens in patients with genotype (GT) 3 hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and liver cirrhosis. The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pangenotypic regimens in this difficult-to-treat population. A total of 236 patients with mean age 52.3 ± 11.3 years and male predominance (72%) selected from EpiTer-2 database were included in the analysis; 72% of them were treatment-naïve. The majority of patients (55%) received the combination of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL), 71 without and 58 with ribavirin (RBV), whereas the remaining 107 individuals were assigned to glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB). The effectiveness of the treatment following GLE/PIB and SOF/VEL regimens (96% and 93%) was higher compared to SOF/VEL + RBV option (79%). The univariate analysis demonstrated the significantly lower sustained virologic response in males, in patients with baseline HCV RNA ≥ 1,000,000 IU/mL, and among those who failed previous DAA-based therapy. The multivariate logistic regression analysis recognized only the male gender and presence of ascites at baseline as the independent factors of non-response to treatment. It should be emphasized that despite the availability of pangenotypic, strong therapeutic options, GT3 infected patients with cirrhosis still remain difficult-to-treat, especially those with hepatic impairment and DAA-experienced.

A Two-Year Outcome Evaluation of Government-Led Initiative to Upscale Hospital-based Hepatitis C Treatment Using a Standard Two-Drug Regimen in Malaysia

Background: Malaysia has been fully committed to the global endeavor to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by 2030. In early 2018, the Ministry of Health (MOH) embarked on a “one-size-fits-all strategy” by introducing generic versions of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir as the standard treatment for HCV infection in public hospitals nationwide. Objectives: To evaluate the outcomes of such an initiative in multiple aspects, including the number and characteristics of patients treated, the extent of evidence-based drug use, the treatment completion status, individual responses to treatment, common side effects of treatment, and its economic implications. Methods: The findings were generated from the data compiled by the MOH, capturing the information regarding the treatment provided to adult HCV-infected patients in 16 selected hospitals between April 2018 and March 2020, along with the drug costs incurred. Results: A total of 1,797 patients were treated, nearly four times more than the patients receiving interferon-based treatment across the country in the preceding two years. Approximately one-third of them had liver cirrhosis, and the main HCV genotypes were 3 (46.9%) and 1a (20.0%). Dosing, treatment duration and the addition of ribavirin to the treatment generally agreed with the recommendations of the MOH. More than 90% of the patients completed the treatment course, and a sustained virologic response (SVR) rate of 95.4% (95% CI: 94.2, 96.7%) was recorded in those with a known treatment outcome (n = 1,163). The SVR achievement did not vary across HCV genotypes and cirrhosis status, but those ≥ 50 years of age (adjusted OR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.16, 3.92) were more likely to fail the treatment. Side effects were rare. Anemia and fatigue caused treatment discontinuation in only 0.3% of the patients. The total drug expenditure reached US$678,258.20, and the mean cost of a 12-week treatment course of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir (US$235.16) was lower than the cost expected by the MOH (US$300). Conclusions: The findings demonstrate a high degree of real-world effectiveness, safety, and affordability of the standard treatment, suggesting that such a government-led initiative was reasonable and timely and could be extended to include more public health institutions.

Genotype 3-hepatitis C virus’ last line of defense

Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the leading causes of liver disease globally, affecting approximately 71 million people. The majority of them are infected with genotype (GT) 1 but infections with GT3 are second in frequency. For many years, GT3 was considered to be less pathogenic compared to other GTs in the HCV family due to its favorable response to interferon (IFN)-based regimen. However, the growing evidence of a higher rate of steatosis, more rapid progression of liver fibrosis, and lower efficacy of antiviral treatment compared to infection with other HCV GTs has changed this conviction. This review presents the specifics of the course of GT3 infection and the development of therapeutic options for GT3-infected patients in the era of direct-acting antivirals (DAA). The way from a standard of care therapy with pegylated IFN-alpha (pegIFNα) and ribavirin (RBV) through a triple combination of pegIFNα + RBV and DAA to the highly potent IFN-free pangenotypic DAA regimens is discussed along with some treatment options which appeared to be dead ends. Although the implementation of highly effective pangenotypic regimens is the most recent stage of revolution in the treatment of GT3 infection, there is still room for improvement, especially in patients with liver cirrhosis and those who fail to respond to DAA therapies, particularly those containing inhibitors of HCV nonstructural protein 5A.

High rates of sustained virological response despite premature discontinuation of directly acting antivirals in HCV-infected patients treated in a real-life setting

In routine clinical practice, hepatitis C virus-infected patients can prematurely discontinue the prescribed regimen for several reasons. The aim of our study was to investigate sustained virological response (SVR12) rates in patients who prematurely discontinued directly acting antiviral (DAA) regimens and to assess the shortest effective duration of DAA able to lead to SVR12. We retrospectively collected the SVR rates of patients, registered in the NAVIGATORE-Lombardia Network database from January 2015, who discontinued DAAs before the predefined end of treatment. Overall, we included 365 patients, males were the majority (213, 58.4%), mean age was 60.5 years, and 53 (14.5%) patients were HIV-co-infected. Liver cirrhosis was observed in 251 (68.8%) subjects, and the most represented genotypes were 1b (n = 168, 46%) and 3 (n = 59, 16.2%). DAA was discontinued a median of 1 (IQR 1-4) weeks before the predefined EOT, with 164 (44.9%) patients stopping DAAs at least 2 weeks before the planned schedule. In patients with F0-F3 liver fibrosis, lower rates of SVR12 were observed in patients treated for <4 weeks: 50% (n = 2/4) vs. 99.1% (n = 109/110) for ≥4 weeks, p = 0.003. In patients with liver cirrhosis, lower rates of SVR12 were observed in patients treated <8 weeks: 83.3% (n = 25/30) vs. 94.6% (n = 209/221) for ≥8 weeks, p = 0.038. Despite premature discontinuation of DAA, high SVR12 rates were observed in a real-life setting for treatment lasting at least 4 weeks in patients with liver fibrosis F0-F3 and 8 weeks in those with liver cirrhosis. On this basis, feasibility of reducing DAA treatment duration should be explored in randomized clinical trials.

Efficacy and Safety of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir in Patients with Chronic HCV Infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of end-stage liver disease, including decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Over 95% of patients with HCV infection have achieved sustained virologic response at 12 weeks under the treatment of several pan-genotypic regimens approved for patients with HCV infection. The glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P) regimen has some features that distinguish it from others and is the only 8-week regimen approved for treatment-naive patients and patients experienced in regimens containing (peg)interferon, ribavirin, and/or sofosbuvir, without an HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitor or NS5A inhibitor (except those with genotype 3). This review aims to summarize the efficacy and safety of G/P in HCV-infected patients from clinic trials and real-world studies, including those who have historically been considered difficult to cure.

Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment for Hepatitis C Genotypes Uncommon in High-Income Countries: A Dutch Nationwide Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

The majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are found in low- and middle-income countries, which harbor many region-specific HCV subtypes. Nevertheless, direct-acting antiviral (DAA) trials have almost exclusively been conducted in high-income countries, where mainly epidemically spread HCV subtypes are present. Recently, several studies have demonstrated suboptimal DAA efficacy for certain nonepidemic subtypes, which could hamper global HCV elimination. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate DAA efficacy in patients treated for a nonepidemic HCV genotype infection in the Netherlands.

METHODS

We performed a nationwide retrospective study including patients treated with interferon-free DAAs for an HCV genotype other than 1a/1b/2a/2b/3a/4a/4d. The genotype was determined by NS5B region phylogenetic analysis. The primary end point was SVR-12. If stored samples were available, NS5A and NS5B sequences were obtained for resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) evaluation.

RESULTS

We included 160 patients, mainly infected with nonepidemic genotype 2 (41%) and 4 (31%) subtypes. Most patients were from Africa (45%) or South America (24%); 51 (32%) were cirrhotic. SVR-12 was achieved in 92% (140/152) of patients with available SVR-12 data. Only 73% (8/11) genotype 3-infected patients achieved SVR-12, the majority being genotype 3b patients with 63% (5/8) SVR. Regardless of SVR, all genotype 3b patients had 30K and 31M RAS.

CONCLUSIONS

The DAA efficacy we observed in most nonepidemic genotypes in the Netherlands seems reassuring. However, the low SVR-12 rate in subtype 3b infections is alarming, especially as it is common in several HCV-endemic countries. Alongside earlier results, our results indicate that a remaining challenge for global HCV elimination is confirming and monitoring DAA efficacy in nonepidemic genotypes.

Diverse HCV Strains And HIV URFS Identified Amongst People Who Inject Drugs In India

Although the prevalences of HIV and HCV are significantly higher amongst PWID in India compared to the general population, the strains circulating within this group have not been well-characterized. Through subgenomic sequencing of viruses present in residual plasma from an HIV/HCV prevalence study conducted amongst PWID across five cities in India in 2016-2017, a total of N = 498 HCV and N = 755 HIV strains were classified from N = 975 study participants. Considerable HCV diversity was identified, with different strains predominating in each region of the country. Overall, the most common strain was genotype 3a (39.0%), with genotypes 1a (26.9%), 1b (3.0%), 1c (0.2%), 3b (20.7%), 3i (2.0%), 4a (0.2%), 4d (1.0%), 6 (1.8%), 6n (4.8%), 6 v (0.2%) and one unclassifiable recombinant specimen (0.2%) also identified. The majority of the HIV specimens were subtype C (96.7%), although subtype A (0.4%), CRF01_AE (0.4%) and unique recombinant forms (URFs, 2.5%) were also detected. Notably, the geographical restriction of HIV subtype A and CRF01_AE, and HCV genotypes 4 and 6 to specific sites suggests distinct novel introductions of HIV and HCV into PWID populations, potentially via drug trafficking routes from neighboring countries where these strains are common.