Simeprevir with pegylated interferon alfa 2a plus ribavirin for treatment of hepatitis C virus genotype 1 in patients with HIV: a meta-analysis and historical comparison.

BACKGROUND: About one third of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) also have chronic hepatitis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV therapy with simeprevir, pegylated interferon alfa (PegIFNα) and ribavirin (RBV) have been shown to be superior to PegIFNα + RBV alone in non-HIV patients, but no randomized trials in patients with HCV genotype 1 (HCV-1)/HIV coinfection are available. METHODS: This was a historical comparison of study C212 (simeprevir + PegIFNα-2a + RBV in patients with HCV-1/HIV coinfection) with studies in which HCV-1/HIV coinfected patients were treated with PegIFNα-2a + RBV alone. A systematic literature search was performed to identify eligible studies. Efficacy and safety results of PegIFNα-2a + RBV studies were combined in random- and fixed-effects inverse-variance weighted meta-analyses of proportions using the Freeman-Tukey double arcsin transformation method, and compared with the results of study C212. RESULTS: The literature search revealed a total of 2392 records, with 206 articles selected for full-text review. Finally, 11 relevant articles reporting on 12 relevant study groups were included. Results on sustained virologic response 24 weeks after end of treatment (SVR24) were available from all 12 study groups. Pooled SVR24 for PegIFNα-2a + RBV from the random-effects meta-analysis was 28.2% (95% CI 23.8% to 32.9%). The comparison between study C212 (SVR24 = 72.6%; 95% CI 63.1% to 80.9%) revealed substantial superiority of simeprevir + PegIFNα-2a + RBV compared to PegIFNα-2a + RBV alone, with an absolute risk difference of 45% (95% CI 34 to 55). This finding was robust in a sensitivity analysis that only included historical studies with a planned treatment duration of at least 48 weeks and the same RBV dose as in study C212. No increases in the frequency of important adverse event categories including anemia were identified, but these analyses were limited by the low number of studies. CONCLUSION: This historical comparison provides first systematic evidence for the superiority of simeprevir + PegIFNα-2a + RBV compared to PegIFNα-2a + RBV in patients with HCV-1/HIV coinfection. Given the limitations of the historical comparison for safety endpoints, additional data on the comparative safety of simeprevir in patients with HCV-1/HIV coinfection would be desirable. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Identifier for study TMC435-TiDP16-C212 (ClinicalTrials.gov): NCT01479868.

Simeprevir (TMC435) with pegylated interferon/ribavirin in patients coinfected with HCV genotype 1 and HIV-1: a phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: Simeprevir is an oral, once-daily, hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitor for the treatment of chronic HCV genotype 1 infection. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection accelerates progression of liver disease. This uncontrolled, open-label trial explored the safety and efficacy of simeprevir in patients with HCV genotype 1/HIV type 1 (HIV-1) coinfection. METHODS: Patients received simeprevir (150 mg once daily) with pegylated interferon alfa-2a/ribavirin (peg-IFN/RBV) for 12 weeks. Noncirrhotic HCV treatment-naive patients and prior relapsers received response-guided therapy (RGT) with peg-IFN/RBV for 24 or 48 weeks. Prior null responders, prior partial responders, and patients with cirrhosis received peg-IFN/RBV for 48 weeks. The primary endpoint was sustained virologic response 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12). RESULTS: One hundred and six patients (93 on antiretroviral therapy) were enrolled and treated. SVR12 rates were 79.2% in HCV treatment-naive patients, 57.1% in prior null responders, 86.7% in prior relapsers, and 70.0% in prior partial responders. Fifty-four of 61 eligible patients (88.5%) met RGT criteria for 24 weeks of peg-IFN/RBV, of whom 87.0% (47/54) achieved SVR12. SVR12 rates were 80.0% (36/45) and 63.6% (14/22) for patients with METAVIR scores of F0-F2 and F3-F4, respectively. Common adverse event (AE) rates were consistent with peg-IFN/RBV therapy (fatigue, headache, nausea, neutropenia). Most AEs were grade 1/2; serious AEs occurred in 5.7% of patients, none of which were fatal. CONCLUSIONS: Simeprevir was generally well tolerated with safety similar to that observed in HCV-monoinfected patients and high SVR12 rates in HCV treatment-naive patients, prior relapsers, prior partial responders, and prior null responders with HIV-1 coinfection. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01479868.

Antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus recurrence after liver transplantation in HIV-infected patients: outcome in the Bonn cohort.

Recurrent hepatitis C is a major cause of mortality in HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-co-infected patients after orthotopic liver transplantation. We report sustained viral clearance in all four transplanted HIV/HCV-positive patients treated with pegylated interferon/ribavirin. Early therapy after HCV recurrence, tailoring treatment duration to the individual decline in HCV-RNA and the management of side effects are key factors for improved efficacy. At experienced centres interferon treatment is a valuable option for recurrent hepatitis C in HIV-positive patients.

Strategies for assignment of HIV-HCV genotype-1-coinfected patients to either dual-therapy or direct-acting antiviral agent-based triple-therapy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate strategies for assignment of HIV-HCV genotype-1-coinfected patients (HIV-HCV-GT1) to either dual-therapy or direct-acting antiviral agent (DAA)-based triple-therapy. METHODS: A total of 148 treatment-naive HIV-HCV-GT1 who received antiviral therapy with pegylated interferon/ribavirin were included in this multinational, retrospective analysis. Patients with rapid virological response (RVR) were treated for 48 weeks, while patients without RVR received either 48 or 72 weeks of treatment. IL28B rs12979860 (IL28B) non-C/C, advanced liver fibrosis and high HCV RNA were considered as established risk factors for treatment failure. RESULTS: A trend toward higher sustained virological response (SVR) rates in patients with IL28B C/C (65% [37/57] versus 51% [40/79]; P=0.097) was observed. Higher SVR rates were observed in patients without advanced liver fibrosis (61% [47/77] versus 42% [22/52]); P=0.036) and without high HCV RNA (73% [35/48] versus 49% [49/100]; P=0.006), as well as in patients with RVR (90% [35/39] versus 45% [49/109]; P<0.001). SVR rates varied statistically significantly between the risk factors for treatment failure subgroups (86% [6/7] versus 69% [34/49] versus 48% [21/44] versus 20% [4/20] for zero, one, two and three risk factors, respectively; P<0.001). In patients without RVR, higher rates of SVR were observed in those treated for 72 weeks (62% [23/37]), when compared to patients treated for 48 weeks (36% [26/72]; P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: RVR had an excellent positive predictive value for the response to dual-therapy in HIV-HCV-GT1, emphasizing the utility of a lead-in phase for assigning these patients to dual-therapy or DAA-based triple-therapy. The use of an IL28B-guided approach was suboptimal, while a combination of established baseline predictors may provide guidance for individual treatment decisions prior to the initiation of antiviral therapy. However, the extension of treatment duration to 72 weeks in HIV-HCV-GT1 without RVR should be strongly considered if triple-therapy is not available.