This page is an archive. Its content may no longer be accurate and was last updated on the original publication date. It is intended for reference and as a historical record only. For hep C questions, call Help4Hep BC at 1-888-411-7578.
Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) without cirrhosis have a high rate of sustained viral response at 12 weeks with use of 3-week triple direct-acting antiviral therapy, according to a study published in the Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
Researchers examined the antiviral efficacy and safety of 3 weeks of response-guided therapy with an NS3 protease inhibitor and dual NS5A inhibitor–NS5B nucleotide analogue in the open-label, phase 2a study. Patients with chronic HCV genotype 1b infection without cirrhosis were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups (sofosbuvir, ledipasvir, and asunaprevir; sofosbuvir, daclatasvir, and simeprevir; or sofosbuvir, daclatasvir, and asunaprevir) until 6 patients in each group achieved an ultrarapid virologic response (plasma HCV RNA <500 IU/mL by day 2).
Patients who had an ultrarapid virologic response received 3 weeks of therapy, and those who did not achieve an ultrarapid response were switched to sofosbuvir and ledipasvir for either 8 weeks or 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who had a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12) after treatment completion.