Efficacy and tolerability of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir for treatment of hepatitis C genotype 1 & 3 in patients undergoing hemodialysis- a prospective interventional clinical trial

Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Hemodialysis Patients in the Era of Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment: Observational Study and Narrative Review

Background and Objectives: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major global public health concern, particularly in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study aims to evaluate the demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of HCV-positive patients undergoing HD and assess the long-term impact of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) on patient outcomes. Moreover, a narrative review aims to summarize the current knowledge regarding HCV treatment in HD patients. The search in the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases identified 48 studies relevant to our topic, 18 regarding clinical history and 29 related to HCV treatment. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 165 HD patients from Bihor County HD centers, Romania, between 2014 and 2024. The cohort was divided into two groups: 54 patients who tested positive for HCV and 111 controls who were HCV-negative. Data collected from GPs included demographic information, comorbidities, laboratory parameters, and psychological assessments. Outcomes were evaluated at over 5 years after DAA treatment. A literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar to identify relevant studies on HCV in HD patients from 1989 to 2024. Results: Laboratory results showed similar parameters across groups, except for lower serum cholesterol levels in the HCV-positive DAA-treated group vs. HCV-positive non-treated ones (155.607 mg% vs. 170.174 mg%, p = 0.040) and increased ALT levels when comparing the same groups (29.107 vs. 22.261, p = 0.027), whereas comorbidities did not differ significantly. The incidence of malignancies was significantly higher among HCV-positive compared to HCV-negative patients (20.3% vs. 8.1%, p = 0.023), mainly among those treated with DAAs, highlighted by the multivariate analysis. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality regardless of HCV status or the use of antiviral therapy. Psychological assessments revealed more severe depression in HCV-positive patients compared to their HCV-negative counterparts. Conclusions: HCV infection in the hemodialysis population typically follows a subclinical course. At over five years after DAA therapy, the results indicate a stabilization of the liver function and the absence of major complications. However, the incidence of malignancies remains high in HCV-positive patients.

HepFREEPak: protocol for a multi-centre, prospective observational study examining efficacy and impact of current therapies for the treatment of hepatitis C in Pakistan and reporting resistance to antiviral drugs: study protocol

BACKGROUND

Pakistan has one of the highest burdens of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection globally. To achieve the World Health Organization's goals for HCV elimination, there is a need for substantial scale-up in testing, treatment, and a reduction in new infections. Data on the population impact of scaling up treatment is not available in Pakistan, nor is there reliable data on the incidence of infection/reinfection. This project will fill this gap by providing important empirical data on the incidence of infection (primary and reinfection) in Pakistan. Then, by using this data in epidemic models, the study will determine whether response rates achieved with affordable therapies (sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir) will be sufficient to eliminate HCV in Pakistan.

METHODS

This prospective multi-centre cohort study will screen 25,000 individuals for HCV antibody (Ab) and RNA (if Ab-positive) at various centers in Pakistan- Karachi (Sindh) and Punjab, providing estimates of the disease prevalence. HCV positive patients will be treated with sofosbuvir and daclatasvir for 12-weeks, (extended to 24-weeks in those with cirrhosis) and the proportion responding to this first-line treatment estimated. Patients who test HCV Ab negative will be recalled 12 months later to test for new HCV infections, providing estimates of the incidence rate. Patients diagnosed with HCV (~ 4,000) will be treated and tested for Sustained Virological Response (SVR). Questionnaires to assess risk factors, productivity, health care usage and quality of life will be completed at both the initial screening and at 12-month follow-up, allowing mathematical modelling and economic analysis to assess the current treatment strategies. Viral resistance will be analysed and patients who have successfully completed treatment will be retested 12 months later to estimate the rate of re-infection.

CONCLUSION

The HepFREEPak study will provide evidence on the efficacy of available and widely used treatment options in Pakistan. It will also provide data on the incidence rate of primary infections and re-infections. Data on incidence risk factors will allow us to model and incorporate heterogeneity of risk and how that affects screening and treatment strategies. These data will identify any gaps in current test-and-treat programs to achieve HCV elimination in Pakistan.

STUDY REGISTRATION

This study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04943588) on June 29, 2021.

The efficacy and safety of direct-acting antiviral regimens for end-stage renal disease patients with HCV infection: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an independent risk factor associated with adverse outcomes in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Due to the wide variety of direct-acting antiviral regimens (DAAs) and the factor of renal insufficiency, careless selection of anti-hepatitis C treatment can lead to treatment failure and safety problems. The integrated evidence for optimized therapies for these patients is lacking. This study would conduct comparisons of different DAAs and facilitate clinical decision-making.

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature search in multiple databases (PubMed, Ovid, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science) up to 7 August 2023. Study data that contained patient characteristics, study design, treatment regimens, intention-to-treat sustained virologic response (SVR), and adverse event (AE) data per regimen were extracted into a structured electronic database and analyzed. The network meta-analysis of the estimation was performed by the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods.

Results

Our search identified 5,278 articles; removing the studies with duplicates and ineligible criteria, a total of 62 studies (comprising 4,554 patients) were included. Overall, the analyses contained more than 2,489 male individuals, at least 202 patients with cirrhosis, and no less than 2,377 patients under hemodialysis. Network meta-analyses of the DAAs found that receiving ombitasvir (OBV)/paritaprevir (PTV)/ritonavir (R) plus dasabuvir (DSV), glecaprevir (G)/pibrentasvir (P), and sofosbuvir (SOF)/ledipasvir (LDV) ranked as the top three efficacy factors for the HCV-infected ESRD patients. Stratified by genotype, the G/P would prioritize genotype 1 and 2 patients with 98.9%-100% SVR, the SOF/DCV regimen had the greatest SVR rates (98.7%; 95% CI, 93.0%-100.0%) in genotype 3, and the OBV/PTV/R regimen was the best choice for genotype 4, with the highest SVR of 98.1% (95% CI, 94.4%-99.9%). In the pan-genotypic DAAs comparison, the G/P regimen showed the best pooled SVR of 99.4% (95% CI, 98.6%-100%). DAA regimens without Ribavirin or SOF showed the lowest rates of AEs (49.9%; 95% CI, 38.4%-61.5%) in HCV-infected ESRD patients.

Conclusion

The G/P could be recommended as the best option for the treatment of pan-genotypic HCV-infected ESRD patients. The OBV/PTV/R plus DSV, SOF/Velpatasvir (VEL), SOF/Ledipasvir (LDV), and SOF/DCV would be reliable alternatives for HCV treatment with comparable efficacy and safety profiles.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#searchadvanced, PROSPERO: CRD42021242359.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, and HIV Infections in Hemodialysis Patients at Kano Kidney Center

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are more prevalent in hemodialysis patients compared to the general population. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV infections in hemodialysis patients dialyzing regularly at Kano Kidney Center (KKC) in the Eastern Health Cluster of Saudi Arabia in 2022. Methods This retrospective study included all hemodialysis patients who were dialyzed regularly at KKC during 2022. Their electronic medical records were reviewed for the results of HBV, HCV, and HIV along with the patient's demographics, comorbid conditions, and dialysis history. The study was approved and monitored by the Institutional Review Board of Dammam Medical Complex. Results A total of 239 regular hemodialysis patients were included, consisting of 142 males and 97 females (59.41% and 40.59%, respectively), with a mean age of 52.71±15.83 years. Most of the patients were Saudis (156 patients, 65.27%) with the non-Saudi patients being composed mostly of Arabian patients. Nine patients (3.77%) tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), the serologic hallmark of HBV infection. Two patients (0.84%) had resolved HBV infections as evidenced by positive hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) and hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs). However, the majority (226 patients, 94.56%) were never tested for anti-HBc. Anti-HBs, which can imply long-term immunity against HBV from prior immunizations or infections, were positive in 165 patients (69.04%). A protective anti-HBs level of ≥ 10 IU/L was detected in 158 patients (66.11%) including 104 patients (43.51%) having ≥ 100 IU/L. Eighteen patients (7.53%) had reactive HCV antibodies. Four patients (1.67%) had chronic HCV infection as they had detectable HCV RNA. The remaining 14 patients (5.86%) cleared HCV either spontaneously (seven patients, 2.93%) or by medications (seven patients, 2.93%). HIV screening tests were negative in all 239 patients (100%). HBsAg-positive patients did not have any statistically significant differences from HBsAg-negative patients. On the other hand, the patients who were positive for HCV antibodies were older than the patients who were negative for HCV antibodies (60.66 vs 52.05 years on average, p-value <0.05). They also contained a statistically larger proportion of non-Saudi patients than the patients with no evidence of prior infections (61.11% vs 32.13%, p-value <0.05). Conclusions The study found that the prevalence of HBV and HCV infections among hemodialysis patients in KKC at 3.77% and 1.67%, respectively, is higher than that reported in the general population in Saudi Arabia, with non-Saudis having a higher prevalence rate of HCV infection than Saudis. However, the current prevalence rate is lower compared to the previous studies that were conducted in Saudi Arabia in the first decade of the 21st century, and there were no cases of HIV infections. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of patients had unprotective or negative anti-HBs antibody titers, indicating the need for strict vaccination protocols and monitoring of antibody titers to ensure optimal protection.

A Systematic Review of Direct-Acting Antivirals for Hepatitis C in Advanced CKD

Introduction

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have improved treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). To facilitate the 2022 update of the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guideline for CKD patients with HCV, we systematically reviewed DAA regimens in patients with CKD stages G4 and G5 nondialysis (G4-G5ND), CKD stage G5 on dialysis (G5D), and kidney transplant recipients (KTRs).

Methods

We conducted a systematic review by searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, and ClinicalTrials.gov through February 1, 2022, and conferences from 2019 to 2021. Studies of HCV-infected patients with CKD G4-G5ND, G5D, and KTRs treated with specified DAA regimens were included. Outcomes included death at 6 months or later, sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12), serious adverse events (SAEs) attributed to DAA, and treatment discontinuation because of adverse events. Maximum likelihood meta-analyses were determined; certainty of evidence was assessed per GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation).

Results

We identified 106 eligible studies (22 reported on CKD G4-G5ND, 69 on CKD G5D, and 29 on KTRs). In each population, the majority of DAA regimens achieved SVR12 ≥ 93%. We found generally low quality of evidence of low risk of SAEs (mostly 0%, up to 2.9%) and low risk of discontinuation because of adverse events (mostly 0%-5%). Across 3 unadjusted observational studies in KTRs, the risk of death after DAA treatment was substantially lower than without treatment (summary odds ratio, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.04-0.61).

Conclusion

Combination DAA regimens are safe and highly effective in patients with advanced CKD, on dialysis, and with kidney transplants.

From Biomedical Applications of Alginate towards CVD Implications Linked to COVID-19

In the past year, researchers have focused their attention on developing new strategies for understanding how the coronavirus affects human health and developing novel biomaterials to help patients with cardiovascular disease, which greatly increases the risk of complications from the virus. Natural biopolymers have been investigated, and it has been proven that alginate-based materials have important features. This review presents an overview of alginate-based materials used for developing innovative biomaterial platforms for biomedical applications to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus. As presented in this review, COVID-19 affects the cardiovascular system, not only the lungs. The first part of the review presents an introduction to cardiovascular diseases and describes how they have become an important problem worldwide. In the second part of the review, the origin and unique properties of the alginate biopolymer are presented. Among the properties of alginate, the most important are its biocompatibility, biodegradability, low cost, nontoxicity, unique structure, and interesting features after chemical modification. The third section of the review illustrates some of the functions of alginate in biomedical, pharmaceutical, and drug delivery applications. Researchers are using alginate to develop new devices and materials for repairing heart tissues that have been damaged by the coronavirus. Further, insights regarding how cardiovascular disease affects COVID-19 patients are also discussed. Finally, we conclude the review by presenting a summary of the impacts of COVID-19 on cardiovascular patients, their implications, and several hypothetical alginate-based treatments for infected patients.

Effectiveness of Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir in treatment of Hepatitis-C: An experience of tertiary care hospital in Karachi

Objective:

To assess the effectiveness of Sofosbuvir (SOF) and Daclatasvir (DCV) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), compensated cirrhosis (CC) and decompensated cirrhosis (DCLD) either treatment naïve or experienced.

Methods:

This was a prospective, observational study, conducted from January 2017 to December 2018 at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. All patients above 12 years of age with detectable HCV RNA PCR were included. Patients were divided into three groups: CHC, CC and DCLD. SOF and DCV for 12 or 24 weeks were given. Ribavirin (RBV) was given to treatment experienced and cirrhotic patients. Primary outcome was End of Treatment Response (ETR) and secondary outcome was Sustained Virological Response (SVR) at post treatment week 12 or 24.

Results:

Total 300 patients with mean age of 40.49 ± 13.86 were enrolled. Majority were females 174 (58%). CHC were 200 (66.6%) while cirrhotic were 100 (33.4%). Treatment naïve patients were 267 (89%) and 33 (11%) patients were experienced. Most common genotype was 3 (83%). ETR was achieved in 292 (97.33%) and SVR in 265 (88.33%) patients respectively.

Conclusion:

SOF plus DCV with or without RBV is a highly effective treatment for chronic HCV and is still used in many centers of Pakistan. This regimen has excellent results for GT-3. The outcomes are mainly influenced by the presence or absence of cirrhosis.

Role of biomaterials in the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and study of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Recently emerged novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the resulting corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) led to urgent search for methods to prevent and treat COVID-19. Among important disciplines that were mobilized is the biomaterials science and engineering. Biomaterials offer a range of possibilities to develop disease models, protective, diagnostic, therapeutic, monitoring measures, and vaccines. Among the most important contributions made so far from this field are tissue engineering, organoids, and organ-on-a-chip systems, which have been the important frontiers in developing tissue models for viral infection studies. Also, due to low bioavailability and limited circulation time of conventional antiviral drugs, controlled and targeted drug delivery could be applied alternatively. Fortunately, at the time of writing this paper, we have two successful vaccines and new at-home detection platforms. In this paper, we aim to review recent advances of biomaterial-based platforms for protection, diagnosis, vaccination, therapeutics, and monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 and discuss challenges and possible future research directions in this field.

Trends and strategies to combat viral infections: A review on FDA approved antiviral drugs

The infectious microscopic viruses invade living cells to reproduce themselves, and causes chronic infections such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, flu, etc. in humans which may lead to death if not treated. Different strategies have been utilized to develop new and superior antiviral drugs to counter the viral infections. The FDA approval of HIV nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, zidovudine in 1987 boosted the development of antiviral agents against different viruses. Currently, there are a number of combination drugs developed against various viral infections to arrest the activity of same or different viral macromolecules at multiple stages of its life cycle; among which majority are targeted to interfere with the replication of viral genome. Besides these, other type of antiviral molecules includes entry inhibitors, integrase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, interferons, immunomodulators, etc. The antiviral drugs can be toxic to human cells, particularly in case of administration of combination drugs, and on the other hand viruses can grow resistant to the antiviral drugs. Furthermore, emergence of new viruses like Ebola, coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2) emphasizes the need for more innovative strategies to develop better antiviral drugs to fight the existing and the emerging viral infections. Hence, we reviewed the strategic enhancements in developing antiviral drugs for the treatment of different viral infections over the years.

An updated systematic review and meta-analysis on efficacy of Sofosbuvir in treating hepatitis C-infected patients with advanced chronic kidney disease

Sofosbuvir seems to be a revolutionary treatment for Hepatitis C-infected patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) but existing evidence is not quite adequate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Sofosbuvir-based therapy without Ribavirin for all hepatitis C virus genotypes among patients with advanced CKD. We conducted an updated systematic literature search from the beginning of 2013 up to June 2020. Sustained virologic response (SVR) rate at 12 and/or 24 weeks after the end of treatment, and adverse events in HCV-infected patients with advanced CKD were pooled using random effects models. We included 27 published articles in our meta-analyses, totaling 1,464 HCV-infected patients with advanced CKD. We found a substantial heterogeneity based on the I2 index (P = 0.00, I2 = 56.1%). The pooled SVR rates at 12 and 24 weeks after the end of Sofosbuvir-based treatment were 97% (95% Confidence Interval: 95-99) and 95% (89-99) respectively. The pooled SVR12 rates were 98% (96-100) and 94% (90-97) in patients under 60 and over 60 years old respectively. The pooled incidence of severe adverse events was 0.11 (0.04-0.19). The pooled SVR12 rate after completion of the half dose regimen was as high as the full dose treatment but it was associated with less adverse events (0.06 versus 0.14). The pooled SVR12 rate was 98% (91-100) in cirrhotic patients and 100% (98-100) in non-cirrhotic patients. The endorsement of Sofosbuvir-based regimen can improve the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with advanced CKD.

Combating the Pandemic COVID-19: Clinical Trials, Therapies and Perspectives

The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is caused due to the infection by a unique single stranded enveloped RNA virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The COVID-19 has claimed many lives around the globe, and a promising solution to end this pandemic is still awaited. Till date neither an exact antiviral drug nor a vaccine is available in the market for public use to cure or control this pandemic. Repurposed drugs and supportive measures are the only available treatment options. This systematic review focuses on different treatment strategies based on various clinical studies. The review discusses all the current treatment plans and probable future strategies obtained as a result of a systematic search in PubMed and Science Direct database. All the possible options for the treatment as well as prophylaxis of COVID-19 are discussed. Apart from this, the article provides details on the clinical trials related to COVID-19, which are registered under ClinicalTrials.gov. Potential of drugs based on the previous researches on SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, Ebola, influenza, etc. which fall under the same category of coronavirus are also emphasized. Information on cell-based and immunology-based approaches is also provided. In addition, miscellaneous therapeutic approaches and adjunctive therapies are discussed. The drug repurposing options, as evidenced from various in vitro and in silico models, are also covered including the possible future solutions to this pandemic.

Efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir in the treatment of hep C among patients on hemodialysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among maintenance hemodialysis patients is implicated in increased morbidity and mortality compared to uninfected patients. Sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimens may not be optimal among patients requiring hemodialysis. Several studies, however, provide evidence that use of SOF among HCV-positive patients with renal impairment, is effective and safe. We searched Pubmed and Embase to identify studies reporting the efficacy and safety of SOF-based regimens for the treatment of HCV-positive patients on maintenance hemodialysis and performed a random effects meta-analysis. The overall pooled estimate of the efficacy of SOF-based therapy was 95% (95% CI 91–98%). The efficacy of the SOF-based regimen was 92% (95% CI 80–99%), 98% (95% CI 96–100%), and 100% (95% CI 95–100%) for the following doses: 400 mg on alternate days, 400 mg daily, and 200 mg daily, respectively. The most frequent adverse event was fatigue with a pooled prevalence of 16% (95% CI 5–29%), followed by anemia 15% (95% CI 3–31%), and nausea or vomiting 14% (95% CI 4–27%). Anemia was more prevalent in treatment regimens containing ribavirin (46%, 95% CI 33–59%) compared to ribavirin-free regimens (3%, 95% CI 0–9%). This study suggests that SOF-based regimens in the treatment of HCV infection among hemodialysis patients are both effective and safe.

COVID-19: A promising cure for the global panic

The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which is the causative agent of a potentially fatal disease that is of great global public health concern. The outbreak of COVID-19 is wreaking havoc worldwide due to inadequate risk assessment regarding the urgency of the situation. The COVID-19 pandemic has entered a dangerous new phase. When compared with SARS and MERS, COVID-19 has spread more rapidly, due to increased globalization and adaptation of the virus in every environment. Slowing the spread of the COVID-19 cases will significantly reduce the strain on the healthcare system of the country by limiting the number of people who are severely sick by COVID-19 and need hospital care. Hence, the recent outburst of COVID-19 highlights an urgent need for therapeutics targeting SARS-CoV-2. Here, we have discussed the structure of virus; varying symptoms among COVID-19, SARS, MERS and common flu; the probable mechanism behind the infection and its immune response. Further, the current treatment options, drugs available, ongoing trials and recent diagnostics for COVID-19 have been discussed. We suggest traditional Indian medicinal plants as possible novel therapeutic approaches, exclusively targeting SARS-CoV-2 and its pathways.