Hepatitis C Support Group
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral disease which can cause liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. Many people with HCV infection have no symptoms and are unaware of the need to seek treatment. Hepatitis C infects an estimated 150-200 million people worldwide.
It may be repeat news, but still wonderful to share again...and again lol!
http://www.aidsmap.com/page/2832758/
Interferon- and ribavirin-free treatment using sofosbuvir, ledipasvir and a third direct-acting drug for as little as six weeks can cure most previously untreated people with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV), including those with traditional predictors of poor response, according to results from the SYNERGY trial presented at the 21st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2014) this week in Boston.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either dual therapy with sofosbuvir/ledipasvir alone for 12 weeks, or the coformulation plus a third direct-acting drug either the non-nucleoside HCV polymerase inhibitor GS-9669 or the HCV protease inhibitor GS-9451 for six weeks.
HCV viral load declined rapidly after starting therapy and 100% of participants in all arms had undetectable levels at the end of treatment. A single person in the GS-9669 arm relapsed after stopping therapy, resulting in SVR12 rates of 100% with 12-week dual therapy, 95% with GS-9669 triple therapy and 100% with GS-9451 triple therapy.
Kohli explained that SYNERGY was designed as an eight-arm trial. A future arm will enrol people with cirrhosis to receive sofosbuvir/ledipasvir plus GS-9451. Researchers will also look at an even shorter triple regimen taken for only four weeks.
Session co-moderator Jrgen Rockstroh said that most treatment failures seen in oral direct-acting antiviral combination trials have been related to lack of adherence, which brief therapy could improve. But he cautioned that adding a third drug could increase the cost of treatment, even if it is taken for a shorter period.
http://www.aidsmap.com/page/2832758/
Interferon- and ribavirin-free treatment using sofosbuvir, ledipasvir and a third direct-acting drug for as little as six weeks can cure most previously untreated people with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV), including those with traditional predictors of poor response, according to results from the SYNERGY trial presented at the 21st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2014) this week in Boston.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either dual therapy with sofosbuvir/ledipasvir alone for 12 weeks, or the coformulation plus a third direct-acting drug either the non-nucleoside HCV polymerase inhibitor GS-9669 or the HCV protease inhibitor GS-9451 for six weeks.
HCV viral load declined rapidly after starting therapy and 100% of participants in all arms had undetectable levels at the end of treatment. A single person in the GS-9669 arm relapsed after stopping therapy, resulting in SVR12 rates of 100% with 12-week dual therapy, 95% with GS-9669 triple therapy and 100% with GS-9451 triple therapy.
Kohli explained that SYNERGY was designed as an eight-arm trial. A future arm will enrol people with cirrhosis to receive sofosbuvir/ledipasvir plus GS-9451. Researchers will also look at an even shorter triple regimen taken for only four weeks.
Session co-moderator Jrgen Rockstroh said that most treatment failures seen in oral direct-acting antiviral combination trials have been related to lack of adherence, which brief therapy could improve. But he cautioned that adding a third drug could increase the cost of treatment, even if it is taken for a shorter period.
I am cautiously optimistic. This is the same excitement that Teleprevir & the 1st generation DAAs generated & a lot of people did clear on those triples but quite a few failed as well. A 6 wk IFN-free tx with a 3rd agent sounds awesome & still in clinical trials. I'm pretty sure the next wave will be a 12 wk tx for geno 1a with Solvadi/Ledispavir hitting the market first. Not a minute too soon!