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Oral antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis C infection.

ABSTRACT: The treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin leads to a sustained virologic response in around 50% of patients with HCV genotype 1, 65% with HCV genotype 4, 75% with HCV genotype 3 and around 80% with HCV genotype 2. A better understanding of the HCV lifecycle has resulted in the development of several potential direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) targeting viral proteins [NS3/4A protease inhibitors, NS5B nucleos(t)idic and non-nucleos(t)idic polymerase inhibitors, NS5A replication complex inhibitors]. This review summarizes the main clinical data for the combinations of oral DAAs. DAAs, either in combination with pegylated interferon alpha or in interferon-free regimens, have demonstrated a high level of antiviral efficacy and a generally well-tolerated safety profile in treatment-naïve patients and in prior nonresponders to pegylated interferon alpha/ribavirin. Oral combination of new DAAs is likely to become the standard of care for chronic HCV in treatment-naïve or treatment-experienced patients. However, most studies so far have included small numbers of 'easy-to-treat' patients with short post-treatment periods for defining the sustained virologic response. Extension of the number of treated patients (including 'difficult-to-treat' patients, i.e. patients infected with genotype 3, who failed to respond to first-generation protease inhibitors or with cirrhosis as well as immunocompromised patients) and of the post-treatment follow up in a real-life setting could significantly worsen the rate of recovery. In these 'difficult-to-treat' patients, the rate of virologic cure with new DAAs could be lower than expected and consequently interferons may be still necessary in combination with the new drugs.

SUBMITTER: Pol S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4040722 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Oral antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis C infection.

Pol Stanislas S Corouge Marion M Sogni Philippe P

Therapeutic advances in infectious disease 20130601 3

The treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin leads to a sustained virologic response in around 50% of patients with HCV genotype 1, 65% with HCV genotype 4, 75% with HCV genotype 3 and around 80% with HCV genotype 2. A better understanding of the HCV lifecycle has resulted in the development of several potential direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) targeting viral proteins [NS3/4A protease inhibitors, NS5B nucleos(t)idic and non-nucleos(t)idic ...[more]

PMID: 25165547

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Project description:Time series of gene expression arrays before and during treatment of Hepatitis C; days 0, 1, 2, 7, 14 and 28 for 69 participants (IDs 1 through 69 are used). Treating chronic hepatitis C using peginterferon alpha and ribavirin leads to sustained clearance of virus and clinical improvement in approximately 50% of patients. Response rates are lower among patients with genotype 1 than with genotypes 2 and 3 and among African American ( AA) compared to Caucasian (CA) patients. Using DNA microarrays, gene expression was assessed in a group of 33 African American and 36 Caucasian American patients with chronic hepatitis C, genotype 1 during the first 28 days of treatment. Results were examined with respect to treatment responses and to race. Patients showed a response to treatment at the gene expression level in RNA isolated from PBMC irrespective of degree of decrease in hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels. However, gene expression responses were relatively blunted in patients with poor viral response (< 1.5 log10 IU/ml decrease at 28 days) compared to those in patients with a marked (> 3.5 log10 decrease) or intermediate (1.5 to 3.5 log10 decrease) response. The number of genes that were up- or down-regulated by peginterferon and ribavirin treatment was fewer in patients with a poor response compared to those with an intermediate or marked viral response. However AA patients had a stronger interferon response than CA patients in general. The induced levels of known ISGs such as OAS, MX1, IRF-7 and the toll like receptor TLR-7 was lower in poor response patients than in marked or intermediate response patients. Thus, the relative lack of viral response to interferon therapy of hepatitis C is associated with blunted interferon cell signaling. No specific regulatory gene could be identified as responsible for this global blunting or racial differences. Experiment Overall Design: Eligible patients were naÃ¯ve to interferon and ribavirin treatment, had detectable HCV RNA in serum, and nearly all had a liver biopsy performed within the previous 18 months showing chronic hepatitis. Only patients who were born in the United States and designated themselves as âAfrican American/Blackâ or âCaucasian/Whiteâ were eligible. The clinical protocol called for participants to be treated for up to 48 weeks with peginterferon alpha-2a (Pegasysâ¢, Roche Pharmaceuticals Nutley, NJ) in a dose of 180 Âµg weekly by self-administered subcutaneous injection and ribavirin (Copegusâ¢, Roche) orally in a dose of 1000 or 1200 mg daily based on body weight of less than 75 kg or equal to or greater than 75 kg. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected from patients before treatment (day 0) and on days 1 (after the initial supervised injection of peginterferon), 2, 7, 14 and 28. From the Virahep-C cohort, 72 patients who did not have dose reductions of either peginterferon or ribavirin in the first 28 days of treatment were selected such that 12 patients were included in each race (CA, AA) by virological response category. The three categories of response were: marked, defined as a decrease in HCV RNA levels of more than 3.5 log10 IU/ml or to undetectable on day 28; intermediate, defined as a decrease of 1.4 to 3.5 log10 IU/ml on day 28; and poor, defined as less than 1.4 log10 IU/ml decline on day 28 relative to baseline. These definitions were made a priori in an attempt to analyze the biological basis for virological responses. Of these, adequate RNA was not obtained from 3 patients to provide gene expression information. Of these 72, 69 were analyzed.

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Oral antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis C infection.

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Oral antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis C infection.

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