Treatment response and adverse effects of direct acting antivirals among HCV patients carrying comorbid conditions

Abstract

Aim: Our study aimed to assess the response to direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) among hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients who also had other comorbid conditions. Materials & methods: The data was examined based on a variety of categories, encompassing age, gender, liver function enzymes, tumor markers and comorbid conditions. Results: In conclusion, DAAs demonstrated relatively effective results in HCV/hepatitis B virus coinfected patients, with a 78.2% sustained virological response rate, and 55.5% among HCV monoinfected patients in our study sample. However, some challenges remain, as we observed certain adverse effects associated with DAAs. Conclusion: In the past, interferon-based treatment regimens were the primary options against HCV; however, their limited success led to the development of DAAs drugs that reportedly cause adverse outcomes occasionally.

Summary points

• Hepatitis B and C viruses (HCV/HBV) are major contributors toward development of chronic liver diseases on a global scale.

• Historically, treatment options mainly relied on interferon-based regimens previously followed by development of direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs), during to high rate of treatment failure with interferon.

• DAA demonstrated relatively effective outcomes in HCV/HBV coinfected patients, with a sustained virological response rate of 78.2%.

• However, we also observed some adverse effects associated with the use of DAAs.

Keywords: :

• coinfected
• DAAs
• HCV
• interferon
• SVR

Financial disclosure

The authors have no financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Competing interest disclosure

The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Writing disclosure

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

Research ethics and support committee (RESC 002-05/01/2020) of the University of Management and Technology, Lahore approved this study. Also, informed consent was obtained from all patients.