aidsmap
Liz Highleyman
Original Article: bit.ly/1zTevoC
A pair of two-drug, 12-week regimens containing neither interferon nor ribavirin – sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) plus either ledipasvir (the Harvoni coformulation) or daclatasvir (Daklinza) – cured hepatitis C for more than 95% of people with HIV and hepatitis C co-infection, according to two presentations at the 2015 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) this week in Seattle, USA. These findings confirm that people living with HIV who have hepatitis C can be treated the same as those with hepatitis C alone.
The advent of oral direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) that target different steps of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) lifecycle have revolutionised treatment, offering therapy that is shorter, better tolerated, and more effective than interferon-based therapy. This is particularly beneficial for people with HIV and HCV co-infection who tend to have more rapid liver disease progression and do not respond as well to interferon.
Sofosbuvir/ledipasvir
Susanna Naggie from Duke Clinical Research Center in North Carolina presented results from ION-4, a phase 3 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Gilead Science’s nucleotide HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir plus NS5A inhibitor ledipasvir in people with HIV and HCV co-infection.
Results from ION-1 (genotype 1 treatment-naive, 12 vs 24 weeks), ION-2 (genotype 1 prior non-responders, 12 vs 24 weeks) and ION-3 (genotype 1 treatment naive, 8 vs 12 weeks) were presented previously, showing that sofosbuvir/ledipasvir cured 95% or more of people with HCV mono-infection.
This study enrolled 335 participants with HIV and HCV co-infection in the USA, Canada and New Zealand. The trial had broad inclusion criteria and included more difficult-to-treat groups such as prior non-responders and people with liver cirrhosis.
Full text of article available at link below: bit.ly/1zTevoC
