Patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection who relapse after sofosbuvir plus ribavirin may be successfully retreated with sofosbuvir plus ledipasvir, a new study demonstrated.
During the study, investigators approached patients treated with sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for 24 weeks in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) SPARE study who relapsed after treatment. The participants, mostly black men with an interleukin-28B non-CC genotype, were offered retreatment with sofosbuvir plus ledipasvir for 12 weeks in the ongoing, phase IIa, open-label NIAID SYNERGY study. Fourteen enrolled. The medication was a single daily tablet of 400 mg of sofosbuvir and 90 mg of ledipasvir.
All patients achieved sustained viral response to treatment (SVR12), including seven who had advanced liver disease and one with a detectable NS5B S282T mutation, according to work directed by Dr. Anu Osinusi of Gilead Sciences, manufacturer of the combination drug. Most adverse events, including loose stool, constipation, headache, myalgia, nasal congestion, and pruritic rash, were mild.
The research suggests that patients who have viral relapse after sofosbuvir/ribavirin “can be successfully retreated with sofosbuvir/ledipasvir for 12 weeks,” the authors wrote. “The low incidence of adverse events, low pill burden, short treatment duration, and high efficacy demonstrated in this group and other populations make this drug combination attractive in a real-world setting.”
The study was supported by NIAID, the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and Gilead Sciences (manufacturer of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir). Two authors are employed by Gilead; two others disclosed other company-sponsored findings during the study period.