The outcome of Daclatasvir and low dose Sofosbuvir therapy in end-stage renal disease patients with hepatitis C virus infection

Abstract

Rapid progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is seen in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection compared with uninfected patients. Despite the high efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAVs), their cost represents a limiting factor to their use in developing countries. Aim. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of low dose Sofosbuvir along with Daclatasvir in the management of HCV infection in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Methods. A total of 82 HCV positive patients on ESRD were included in this study. The patients were observed for six months without antiviral drugs. Patients who remained seropositive were divided into two groups. The first group included 26 (37%) patients who were treated with half-dose Sofosbuvir 200 mg and Daclatasvir 60 mg and the second group consisted of 44 (63%) patients who have been treated with full-dose Sofosbuvir 400 mg and Velpatasvir 100 mg irrespective of HCV infection genotype for 12 weeks also. Results. 12 (14%) patients became seronegative spontaneously. All patients (100%) of both groups achieved sustained virological response with undetectable HCV RNA in 12 weeks of the treatment. There were nonsignificant gastrointestinal side effects in the full dose Sofosbuvir group. All patients tolerated the DAAs well. No patient discontinued antiviral therapy due to side effects Conclusion. In this study, the spontaneous seroconversion of HCV was 14%. Low-dose Sofosbuvir along with Daclatasvir was safe and as effective as full-dose Sofosbuvir and Velpatasvir in the treatment of HCV in ESRD patients. Low-dose Sofosbuvir regimen can be recommended for HCV infection treatment in ESRD patients.

Keywords

• hepatitis C virus infection, direct-acting antiviral therapy, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease.