Prevalence of renal abnormalities in chronic HBV infection: the HARPE study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Few data are available on the prevalence of renal abnormalities in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients. The multicentric cross-sectional HARPE study evaluated the prevalence of kidney disease indicators, in chronic HBV surface antigen carriers patients (HBsAg+) with active or inactive infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and sixty-eight HBsAg+ adult patients, naïve of any oral antihepatitis B virus treatment were prospectively included over 2 years. Data for renal assessment were collected once from patient files. Univariate tests and multiple linear regressions were performed with the SAS software, version 8.02 (SAS, Inc., Cary, NC, USA). RESULTS: Among the 260 patients analysed, 58% were men, the mean age was 42 ± 14 years, 59.6% were inactive carriers whereas 47 patients, mostly active, were about to start an antiviral therapy. Prevalence of proteinuria, haematuria, glycosuria, uninfectious leukocyturia was 38.1%, 20.6%, 3.9% and 9% respectively. According to the international definition, a total of 64.6% of patients were found to have kidney disease. Diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia were observed, respectively, in 4.6%, 9.2% and 38.8% patients. There were no significant differences in these results within the three subgroups. CONCLUSION: Renal abnormalities are highly prevalent in our population and pre-exist before the initiation of any antihepatitis B virus treatment. This emphasizes the need for: (i) a baseline renal evaluation in all HBs antigen-positive patients; (ii) a regular renal monitoring before and during antihepatitis B virus treatment to diagnose and manage renal impairment and adjust antihepatitis B virus treatment doses to renal function when necessary.

Efficacy and safety of danoprevir-ritonavir plus peginterferon alfa-2a-ribavirin in hepatitis C virus genotype 1 prior null responders.

Danoprevir (DNV) is a hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor that achieves high sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a-ribavirin in treatment-naive HCV genotype 1 (G1)-infected patients. This study explored the efficacy and safety of ritonavir-boosted DNV (DNVr) plus peginterferon alfa-2a-ribavirin in G1-infected prior peginterferon-ribavirin null responders. Null responders (<2-log10 reduction in HCV RNA level at week 12) were given an open-label combination of 100 mg of ritonavir and 100 mg of DNV (100/100 mg DNVr) every 12 h (q12h) plus peginterferon alfa-2a-ribavirin for 12 weeks. All patients achieving an early virologic response (EVR; ≥2-log10 decrease in HCV RNA by week 12) continued treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a-ribavirin; those without an EVR discontinued all study drugs. Twenty-four prior null responders were enrolled; 16 patients (67%) were infected with HCV G1b, and 8 (33%) were infected with G1a. Ninety-six percent of patients had an IL28B non-CC genotype. A sustained virologic response at 24 weeks posttreatment (SVR24) was achieved in 67% of patients, with a higher rate in G1b-infected (88%) than G1a-infected (25%) patients. Resistance-related breakthrough occurred in 4/8 G1a and 1/16 G1b patients through the DNV resistance-associated variant (RAV) NS3 R155K. NS3 R155K was also detected in 2/2 G1a patients who relapsed. Treatment was well tolerated. Two patients withdrew prematurely from study medications due to adverse events. Two serious adverse events were reported; both occurred after completion of DNVr therapy and were considered unrelated to treatment. No grade 3 or 4 alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations were observed. DNVr plus peginterferon alfa-2a-ribavirin demonstrated high SVR24 rates in HCV G1b-infected prior null responders and was well tolerated. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT01185860.).

Ledipasvir-sofosbuvir with or without ribavirin to treat patients with HCV genotype 1 infection and cirrhosis non-responsive to previous protease-inhibitor therapy: a randomised, double-blind, phase 2 trial (SIRIUS).

BACKGROUND: Patients with cirrhosis resulting from chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are at risk of life-threatening complications, but consistently achieve lower sustained virological response (SVR) than patients without cirrhosis, especially if treatment has previously failed. We assessed the efficacy and safety of the NS5A inhibitor ledipasvir and the nucleotide polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir, with and without ribavirin. METHODS: In this multicentre, double-blind trial, between Oct 21, 2013, and Oct 30, 2014, we enrolled patients with HCV genotype 1 and compensated cirrhosis who had not achieved SVR after successive treatments with pegylated interferon and protease-inhibitor regimens at 20 sites in France. With a computer-generated randomisation sequence, patients were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive placebo matched in appearance to study drugs for 12 weeks followed by once daily combination fixed-dose tablets of 90 mg ledipasvir and 400 mg sofosbuvir plus weight-based ribavirin for 12 weeks, or ledipasvir-sofosbuvir plus placebo once daily for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was SVR 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12), for which 95% CIs were calculated with the Clopper-Pearson method. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01965535. FINDINGS: Of 172 patients screened, 155 entered randomisation, 77 were assigned to receive ledipasvir-sofosbuvir plus ribavirin and 78 ledipasvir-sofosbuvir. 114 (74%) were men, 151 (97%), were white, 98 (63%) had HCV genotype 1a, and 145 (94%) had non-CC IL28B alleles. SVR12 rates were 96% (95% CI 89-99) for patients in the ledipasvir-sofosbuvir plus ribavirin group and 97% (91-100) in the ledipasvir-sofosbuvir group. One patient discontinued treatment because of adverse events while receiving only placebo. The most frequent adverse events were asthenia and headache, pruritus, and fatigue. INTERPRETATION: Ledipasvir-sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for 12 weeks and ledipasvir-sofosbuvir for 24 weeks provided similarly high SVR12 rates in previous non-responders with HCV genotype 1 and compensated cirrhosis. The shorter regimen, when given with ribavirin, might, therefore, be useful to treat treatment-experienced patients with cirrhosis if longer-term treatment is not possible. FUNDING: Gilead Sciences.