Survival rates of early-stage HCV-related liver cirrhosis patients without hepatocellular carcinoma are decreased by alcohol

JNJ-4178 (adafosbuvir, odalasvir, and simeprevir) in Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 2 infection with or without compensated cirrhosis: the Phase IIa OMEGA-3 study

BACKGROUND

The efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of the combination of three direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents (adafosbuvir [also known as AL-335], odalasvir, and simeprevir) were investigated in DAA treatment-naïve Japanese patients with genotype (GT)1 or GT2 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with or without compensated cirrhosis.

METHODS

In this Phase IIa, open-label, multicenter study-OMEGA-3 (NCT02993250)-patients received JNJ-4178 (adafosbuvir 800 mg once daily [QD], odalasvir 25 mg QD, and simeprevir 75 mg QD) for 8 (non-cirrhotic patients; Cohort 1) or 12 (cirrhotic patients; Cohort 2) weeks. Patients were followed-up to 24 weeks following the end of treatment (EOT). The primary endpoint was safety, including adverse events (AEs).

RESULTS

Overall, 33 patients were enrolled into Cohort 1 (N = 22) or 2 (N = 11) and received combined treatment with JNJ-4178. During the treatment and follow-up phases, a higher percentage of patients in Cohort 2 (81.8%) experienced AEs compared with Cohort 1 (68.2%), but the incidence of treatment-related AEs was similar. Most AEs were mild-to-moderate in severity and no patients discontinued due to an AE. There was one serious AE (cataract) in a patient in Cohort 2, which was not considered related to treatment. All patients achieved sustained virologic response 12 weeks after EOT (SVR12). No incidences of viral relapse were observed during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

In HCV GT1- and GT2-infected Japanese patients, treatment with JNJ-4178 was well tolerated and resulted in 100% of patients achieving SVR12.

Transgenic expression of carbonic anhydrase III in cardiac muscle demonstrates a mechanism to tolerate acidosis

Carbonic anhydrase III (CAIII) is abundant in liver, adipocytes, and skeletal muscles, but not heart. A cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes conversions between CO₂ and HCO3- in the regulation of intracellular pH, its physiological role in myocytes is not fully understood. Mouse skeletal muscles lacking CAIII showed lower intracellular pH during fatigue, suggesting its function in stress tolerance. We created transgenic mice expressing CAIII in cardiomyocytes that lack endogenous CAIII. The transgenic mice showed normal cardiac development and life span under nonstress conditions. Studies of ex vivo working hearts under normal and acidotic conditions demonstrated that the transgenic and wild-type mouse hearts had similar pumping functions under normal pH. At acidotic pH, however, CAIII transgenic mouse hearts showed significantly less decrease in cardiac function than that of wild-type control as shown by higher ventricular pressure development, systolic and diastolic velocities, and stroke volume via elongating the time of diastolic ejection. In addition to the effect of introducing CAIII into cardiomyocytes on maintaining homeostasis to counter acidotic stress, the results demonstrate the role of carbonic anhydrases in maintaining intracellular pH in muscle cells as a potential mechanism to treat heart failure.

Update on Alcohol and Viral Hepatitis

Alcohol consumption is often associated with viral hepatitis. Although alcohol is known to worsen viral liver disease, the interactions between alcohol and viral hepatitis are not fully understood. Molecular alterations in the liver due to alcohol and viral hepatitis include effects on viral replication, increased oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and a weakened immune response. Clinically, alcohol enhances disease progression and favors induction of primitive liver neoplasm. The use of new antivirals for hepatitis C and well-established drugs for hepatitis B will determine how viral hepatitis can be controlled in a large percentage of these patients. However, alcohol-related liver disease continues to represent a barrier for access to antivirals, and it remains an unresolved health issue.

Update on Alcohol and Viral Hepatitis

Alcohol consumption is often associated with viral hepatitis. Although alcohol is known to worsen viral liver disease, the interactions between alcohol and viral hepatitis are not fully understood. Molecular alterations in the liver due to alcohol and viral hepatitis include effects on viral replication, increased oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, and a weakened immune response. Clinically, alcohol enhances disease progression and favors induction of primitive liver neoplasm. The use of new antivirals for hepatitis C and well-established drugs for hepatitis B will determine how viral hepatitis can be controlled in a large percentage of these patients. However, alcohol-related liver disease continues to represent a barrier for access to antivirals, and it remains an unresolved health issue.

Evaluation narcotic analgesic use and survival time in terminal stage liver diseases compared with lung cancer: a retrospective chart review

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis are fatal diseases. This study aimed to investigate survival time and palliative care in terminal HCC and/or liver cirrhosis compared with lung cancer. Between January 2004 and December 2010, we enrolled 116 patients with terminal cirrhosis and/or HCC or lung cancer admitted to a municipal hospital in Japan; 48 had liver cirrhosis, 35 HCC and 33 lung cancer. By retrospective chart review, we evaluated: (i) rate of usage of narcotic analgesics and (ii) survival time from onset of coma (Glasgow Coma Scale less than 8). Time between coma and death was significantly shorter in the liver disease patients (cirrhosis and/or HCC: 7.0 h) than in lung cancer (44.0 h, p = 0.045). Total bilirubin was higher in HCC compared with cirrhosis (p<0.01). Rate of usage of narcotic analgesics was higher in lung cancer (20/33: 60.6%) than in liver disease (17/83: 20.5%, p<0.01); analgesics were used more frequently in HCC than in liver cirrhosis (p<0.01). These results suggest that liver cirrhosis and HCC patients do not always require palliative care and that survival time from onset of coma due to liver disease was not prolonged compared with lung cancer.