The efficacy of direct-acting antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Abstract

Introduction. Viral hepatitis C (HCV) is a significant global health problem. The risk of developing chronic HCV is up to 80% of patients, of whom 10-20% can develop liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma which can lead to death. Treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) contributes to a sustained virological response (SVR) in 97-99% of cases.

Material and methods. The study was conducted on 206 patients with chronic HCV who underwent two generic antiviral agent therapies: group I (103) – Sofosbuvir 400 mg + Ledipasvir 80 mg, whereas group II (103) – Sofosbuvir 400 mg + Daclatasvir 60 mg orally, once a day, for 12 weeks. The assessment of hepatitis C virus RNA and genotype, as well as the degree of hepatic fibrosis by Fibroscan, biochemical and complete blood count (CBC) indices were carried out.

Results. The study results showed high efficacy of the generic DAAs treatment in patients with chronic HCV over 12 weeks. The SVR rate made up 90.3% in Sofosbuvir + Ledipasvir therapy and 86.4% – in Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir. Similar treatment response was recorded in naive patients and those who previously underwent unsuccessful treatment with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin. The DAAs treatment showed the following minor adverse reactions: asthenia, headache, sleep disorder, and nausea, which did not require treatment discontinuation.

Conclusions. The 12-week course of DAAs therapy exhibited high SVR rate in both chronic HCV naive patients and those previously treated with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin.