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 a 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. A 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 a high SVR rate in both chronic HCV naive patients and those previously treated with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin.

Keywords

• chronic hcv
• treatment
• sofosbuvir
• ledipasvir
• daclatasvir