Sofosbuvir-velpatasvir successful in hep C regardless of genotype

(HealthDay)—Sofosbuvir-velpatasvir is effective for hepatitis C virus (HCV), regardless of genotype, according to three studies published online Nov. 17 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, held from Nov. 13 to 17 in San Francisco.

Jordan J. Feld, M.D., M.P.H., from the Toronto Western Hospital Liver Centre, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 study involving patients with HCV genotypes 1, 2, 4, 5, or 6, who were randomized to receive sofosbuvir and velpatasvir or matching placebo. The researchers found that among the 624 patients receiving sofosbuvir-velpatasvir, the rate of sustained virologic response was 99 percent at 12 weeks after the end of therapy; two patients had a virologic relapse.

Michael P. Curry, M.D., from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 study involving 267 patients with HCV genotypes 1 through 6 who had decompensated cirrhosis. Participants were randomized to 12 weeks of sofosbuvir-velpatasvir or sofosbuvir-velpatasvir plus ribavirin, or to 24 weeks of sofosbuvir-velpatasvir. The researchers found that the overall sustained virologic response was 83, 94, and 86 percent, respectively, with no significant between-group differences. In a third study, Graham R. Foster, Ph.D., from the Queen Mary University of London, and colleagues found that 12 weeks of sofosbuvir-velpatasvir treatment resulted in superior rates of sustained virologic response versus sofosbuvir-ribavirin among patients with HCV genotype 2 or 3.

"These studies indicate that this drug regimen can achieve high rates of HCV cure regardless of genotype," write the authors of an accompanying editorial.

All three studies were funded by Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of sofosbuvir-velpatasvir.