Generic sofosbuvir-based interferon-free direct acting antiviral agents for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a real-world multicenter observational study

Sci Rep. 2018 Sep 12;8(1):13699. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-32060-7.

Abstract

Real-world data regarding the effectiveness and safety of generic sofosbuvir (SOF)-based interferon-free direct acting antiviral agents (DAAs) for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remain limited. A total of 517 chronic HCV-infected patients receiving 12 or 24 weeks of SOF-based therapies were retrospectively enrolled in 4 academic centers in Taiwan. The rate of sustained virologic response at week 12 off-therapy (SVR12) and that of treatment completion were assessed. The baseline characteristics and on-treatment HCV viral kinetics to predict SVR12 were analyzed. By evaluable population (EP) analysis, the SVR12 rate was 95.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 93.2-96.9%). The SVR12 was achieved in 29 of 34 patients (85.3%, 95% CI: 69.6-93.6%), 130 of 139 patients (93.5%, 95% CI: 88.2-96.6%), 119 of 124 patients (96.0%, 95% CI: 90.9-98.3%) and 215 of 220 patients (97.7%, 95% CI: 94.8-99.0%) who received SOF in combination with ribavirin (RBV), ledipasvir (LDV), daclatasvir (DCV) and velpatasvir (VEL), respectively. Of 517 patients, 514 (99.4%) completed the scheduled treatment. All 15 patients with true virologic failures were relapsers. Two decompensated cirrhotic patients had on-treatment deaths which were not related to DAAs. All 7 patients who were lost to follow-up had undetectable HCV RNA level at the last visit. The SVR12 rates were comparable in terms of baseline patient characteristics and viral decline at week 4 of treatment. In conclusion, generic SOF-based regimens are well tolerated and provide high SVR12 rates in patients with chronic HCV infection.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Drug Therapy, Combination / methods
  • Female
  • Hepacivirus / drug effects*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / drug therapy*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / virology
  • Humans
  • Interferons / therapeutic use*
  • Liver Cirrhosis / drug therapy
  • Liver Cirrhosis / virology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Ribavirin / therapeutic use
  • Sofosbuvir / therapeutic use*
  • Taiwan

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Ribavirin
  • Interferons
  • Sofosbuvir