Treatment of chronic HCV genotype 1 infection with telaprevir: a Bayesian mixed treatment comparison of fixed-length and response-guided treatment regimens in treatment-naïve and -experienced patients.

BACKGROUND: Telaprevir (TVR) has been approved for response-guided-therapy (RGT) of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) genotype-1-infection in treatment-naïve and -experienced patients. In RGT-regimens patients that did not achieve extended rapid-virological-response (eRVR) within the first 4-12 weeks undergo treatment for 48-weeks, whereas in fixed-length-treatment (FLT) patients are treated for a fixed-duration regardless of their RVR. METHODS: This systematic review and Bayesian mixed-treatment-comparison (MTC) aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of standard-therapy with pegylated-interferon-α/ribavirin (Peg-IFN-α/RBV (48 weeks), group A), FLT with TVR, Peg-IFN-α/RBV for 12 weeks with a long (+36 weeks, group B) or short (+12 weeks, group C) tail of Peg-IFN-α/RBV treatment, and RGT with 12 weeks of TVR, Peg-IFN-α/RBV followed by 12 weeks of Peg-IFN-α/RBV (group D) or no therapy (group E). RESULTS: We identified seven randomized controlled trials including 3505 patients. Compared to standard-treatment (group A), treatment-naïve patients allocated to groups B, C, and D were significantly more likely to achieve sustained-virological-response (SVR, odds ratios (OR): B vs. A 3.5 (credibility interval [CrI] 2.2-5.4), C vs. A 3.0 (CrI 1.8-4.9), D vs. A 3.4 (CrI 2.5-4.6)). Treatment-experienced patients achieved increased SVR rates when they were treated in group B (OR: 8.2 (CrI 5.0-13.5)), C (OR 7.0 (CrI 3.9-12.8)), or simulated group D (OR 8.2 (CrI 4.3-15.3)). Patients treated with short RGT (simulated group E) did also have a significant improvement when they were treatment-experienced (simulated OR 3.6 (CrI 1.6-8.2)), whereas the effect was not significant in treatment-naïve patients (OR E vs. A 1.6 (CrI 0.9-2.7)). CONCLUSION: Long FLT and RGT regimens are useful treatment options for HCV-genotype-1 in both treatment-naïve and -experienced patients. A short 24-weeks FLT regimen does not seem to be inferior and should further be evaluated in clinical trials to reduce side effects and costs of treatment.

Early anemia and rapid virological response improve the predictive efficiency of IL28B-genotype for treatment outcome to antiviral combination therapy in patients infected with chronic HCV genotype 1.

IL28B genotypes and virological response within 4 weeks are predictors of sustained virological response in patients infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 treated with antiviral dual combination therapy. The predictive value of "early" anemia (within 4 weeks) alone or in combination with the two other predictors has not been studied yet. A total of 305 pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin-treated patients with HCV genotype 1 were included in this study. Hemoglobin values at week 0, 4, 8, and 12 as well as the predictive efficiency of early anemia (hemoglobin value below the gender-specific lower limit: female < 11.5; male < 13.5 g/dl) during therapy were assessed with IL28B genotypes and rapid virological response. Forty-eight percent of treated patients developed early anemia. In both females and males (64%), a decrease of hemoglobin concentration of 3 g/dl (female: 14.7 ± 1.1 to 11.4 ± 1.3; male: 15.2 ± 1.2 to 12.2 ± 1.5) significantly correlated with sustained virological response. 64% of IL28B-CC patients showed a sustained virological response. Seventy-eight percent of patients with rapid virological response definitively eliminated the virus. Early anemia (81:48:41%) and rapid virological response (83:91:92%) increased the predictive efficiency of IL28B rs12979860 genotype distribution (CC:CT:TT). IL28B-CC and early anemia as well as IL28B-CC and rapid virological response had an Odds ratio of 42.4 or 75 to achieve a sustained virological response compared to TT without early anemia or rapid virological response. This finding may help to early identify responders to standard PEG-IFN-α and ribavirin treatment even within those with unfavorable IL28B genotype.