Adherence to treatment and quality of life during hepatitis C therapy: a prospective, real-life, observational study.

BACKGROUND: Adherence is important for therapy of chronic diseases, but has still not been well studied in real life in chronic hepatitis C. AIMS: To assess adherence to hepatitis C combination therapy in routine clinical practice and to identify factors associated with imperfect adherence. METHODS: This cohort study included unselected chronic hepatitis C patients initiating peginterferon α-2b plus ribavirin. 100% adherence was defined by taking all the prescribed doses of both drugs for the full initially intended duration, as declared by the patient or believed by the physician. Quality of life was assessed using the short-form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire. RESULTS: 1860 patients were analysed, including 72% treatment-naive, 36% genotype 2/3, 23% psychiatric, 44% drug addicts and 3% human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. Early treatment discontinuation occurred in 30% of patients. Overall, 38% of patients reported 100% adherence. Patient- and physician-reported adherences were discordant, with a 20-30% overestimation by physicians. HIV co-infection [odds ratio (OR) 2.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36-4.67], no drug use during follow-up (2.37, 1.30-4.31), genotype 3 (1.55, 1.20-2.00) and treatment-naive (1.32, 1.03-1.69) were associated with 100% adherence. Quality of life worsened during treatment but returned to baseline after the end of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Imperfect adherence to combination therapy is common in routine patients. Adherence is markedly overestimated by physicians and is associated with some patient's baseline characteristics. Knowledge of these factors might help identify patients who are most in need of intervention and plan more frequent and accurate follow-up.

Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis progression in hepatitis C patients retreated for 96 weeks with antiviral therapy: a randomized study.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of a maintenance therapy in non-responder patients with chronic hepatitis C has been essentially evaluated by histological semiquantitative scores. AIM: The aim was to evaluate the efficiency of 2 years of treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a vs alpha-tocopherol in these patients by histology, morphometry and blood markers of fibrosis. METHOD: Hundred and five HCV patients with a Metavir fibrosis score > or = 2 were randomized to receive peginterferon alpha-2a 180 microg/week (PEG) (n=55) or alpha-tocopherol (TOCO) 1000 mg/day (n=50) for 96 weeks. The primary endpoint was improvement or stabilization of the Metavir fibrosis score by biopsy performed at week 96. Secondary endpoints included a quantitative assessment of fibrosis by morphometry and changes in blood markers of fibrosis. RESULTS: There was no difference at baseline between PEG and TOCO according to the metavir (83.3 vs 86.8%, P=0.751) stage. The median fibrosis rate, measured with morphometry was 2.72 and 2.86% at day 0, and 3.66 and 2.82% at week 96, in the PEG and TOCO groups (P=0.90) respectively. However, the percentage of patients with metavir activity grade improvement was significantly higher in the PEG group vs the TOCO group (52.8 vs 23.7%, P=0.016). Non-invasive markers analysis did not show any significant change in both groups. CONCLUSION: Long-term therapy with peginterferon alpha-2a did not reduce liver fibrosis degree assessed by morphometry and blood tests as compared with alpha-tocopherol. Blood tests could be useful to assess liver fibrosis changes in clinical trials.

Patient education improves adherence to peg-interferon and ribavirin in chronic genotype 2 or 3 hepatitis C virus infection: a prospective, real-life, observational study.

AIM: To evaluate the impact of therapeutic education on adherence to antiviral treatment and sustained virological response (SVR) in a real-life setting in genotype 2/3 hepatitis C, as there are few adherence data in genotype 2/3 infection, even from randomized trials. METHODS: This prospective survey included genotype 2/3 patients who received peg-interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin. There was no intervention. Adherence was self-reported over the past 4 wk (peg-interferon) or 7 d (ribavirin). Adherence to bitherapy was defined as adherence to the two drugs for >or= 20 wk. SVR was defined as undetectable RNA >or= 12 wk after the end of treatment. RESULTS: 370/674 patients received education during the first 3 mo of treatment. After 6 mo, adherence to bitherapy was higher in educated patients (61% vs 47%, P = 0.01). Adherence to peg-interferon was 78% vs 69% (P = 0.06). Adherence to ribavirin was 70% vs 56% (P = 0.006). The SVR (77% vs 70%, P = 0.05) and relapse (10% vs 16%, P = 0.09) rates tended to be improved. After adjustment for baseline differences, education improved adherence [Odds ratio (OR) 1.58, P = 0.04] but not the SVR (OR 1.54, P = 0.06). CONCLUSION: In genotype 2/3 patients, therapeutic education helped maintain real-life adherence to bitherapy.

Pegylated interferon-alpha2b plus ribavirin therapy in patients with hepatitis C and psychiatric disorders: results of a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C antiviral therapies have significant psychiatric side effects. It is therefore believed that they might exacerbate mental illness in patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders, resulting in poor adherence and response to antiviral treatment. We aimed to assess adherence to treatment, virological outcomes and mental safety in psychiatric patients, compared with non-psychiatric patients, treated for hepatitis C. METHODS: A cohort study involved unselected hepatitis C patients on scheduled therapy with pegylated interferon-alpha2b and ribavirin, between 2002 and 2005 in France, and followed-up until 6 months after the end of treatment. Virological response was reported by the physician according to standard definitions and adverse events were monitored. Adherence to treatment was assessed by patient report. RESULTS: Among 1,860 patients, 403 (22%) had pre-existing psychiatric disorders, mostly depressive and anxiety disorders. Strict adherence was similar in psychiatric and non-psychiatric patients (35% versus 39%; P=0.20) as was the rate of sustained virological response (52% versus 51%; P=0.75). Conversely the rate of mental adverse events was higher in psychiatric patients (78% versus 57%; P<0.001). Baseline characteristics independently associated with the risk of later mental adverse events were history of depression, initial pegylated interferon-alpha2b dose and female gender. CONCLUSIONS: Antiviral therapy in hepatitis C patients with associated psychiatric disease appears as effective as in other patients but results in a higher rate of mental adverse events, emphasizing the need for close monitoring of these psychiatric patients.

Effectiveness of chronic hepatitis C treatment in drug users in routine clinical practice: results of a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: Injection drug users are often excluded from hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. This study compares sustained virological response, adherence, and quality of life in patients with or without a history of illicit drug use in routine clinical practice. METHODS: This is a post-hoc analysis of a prospective, observational study conducted in 1860 patients who received peginterferon alpha-2b/ribavirin combination therapy. Nondrug users (NDUs) were defined as patients without a history of drug addiction; former drug users (FDUs) as patients who had stopped using illicit drugs or opioid maintenance therapy and active drug users (ADUs) as patients using illicit drugs or on opioid maintenance therapy. Virological response, adherence, and the health-related quality of life were assessed by the measure of HCV RNA in the serum, self-report and 36-item short-form health survey Questionnaire, respectively. RESULTS: The analyzed population included 1038 (56%) NDUs, 578 (31%) FDUs, and 244 (13%) ADUs. About 85% of ADUs were on opioid maintenance therapy and 25% used illicit drugs. Although ADUs had a more chaotic lifestyle and more psychiatric disorders, sustained virological response of ADUs (58%) did not differ from that of NDUs (49%) and FDUs (51%) (P=0.133). Adherence rates were 39% in NDUs and FDUs, and 37% in ADUs (P=0.883). Health-related quality of life was improved in the three groups after the end of treatment. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that HCV therapy in ADUs on opioid maintenance therapy is as effective as in other HCV patients. The effectiveness of HCV therapy in illicit drug users needs to be evaluated in further studies.

Effect of ribavirin in genotype 1 patients with hepatitis C responding to pegylated interferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Pegylated interferon alfa-ribavirin combination is the standard treatment for chronic hepatitis C, but the mechanisms by which ribavirin enhances the rate of sustained hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication remain unknown. We aimed to investigate the role of ribavirin in HCV clearance during therapy and to evaluate the consequences of ribavirin discontinuation in patients infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C who cleared HCV RNA at week 24. METHODS: A total of 516 patients were treated with pegylated interferon alfa-2a, 180 microg/wk, plus ribavirin, 800 mg/day. Seventy percent were RNA negative at week 24. They were randomized to continue with the combination or receive pegylated interferon alone. RESULTS: Responders at week 24 who stopped ribavirin had a significantly higher rate of breakthroughs during, and relapses after, therapy (sustained virologic response, 52.8% vs 68.2%; P = .004), but their side-effect profile and quality of life tended to improve. Multiple logistic regression analysis in the pegylated interferon alfa monotherapy group allowed identification of responders at week 24 who could stop ribavirin without losing their chance of a sustained virologic response, based on baseline viral load and age. Forty-eight weeks of ribavirin may not be needed when HCV RNA is undetectable at week 2. CONCLUSIONS: We made 3 conclusions from this study. First, ribavirin primarily acts by sustaining the virologic response to pegylated interferon alfa; second, ribavirin must be administered for the full treatment duration in most genotype 1-infected patients who respond; third, baseline parameters may help identify patients who could discontinue ribavirin or reduce the dose without losing their chance of success.