An interferon-free regimen of sofosbuvir plus
ribavirin for 24 weeks led to sustained response in three-quarters of
previously untreated people with genotype 1 hepatitis C and HIV co-infection in the PHOTON-1
study, and
in 16 out of 17 pre-treated genotype 3 patients, according to a report at the 21st
Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2014) this week
in Boston.
However, a shorter 12-week regimen did not work as well for people with
hepatitis C virus genotype 3
People with HIV/HCV co-infection experience
more rapid liver disease progression and do not respond as well to
interferon-based therapy as people with hepatitis C alone. Direct-acting antivirals
that target different steps of the HCV lifecycle offer the prospect of shorter
treatment, fewer side-effects and higher cure rates for both HCV mono-infected
and HIV/HCV co-infected patients.
Glossary
- IL28B
An inherited gene which all individuals have. There are three genotypes of IL28B; these influence response to hepatitis C and its treatment. People with CC genotype are more likely to spontaneously clear acute infection or (during chronic infection) respond well to interferon-based treatment. The other two genotypes are known as CT and TT.
"The interferon-free regimen of sofosbuvir + ribavirin
resulted in high SVR12 and SVR24 rates in HIV-infected patients with HCV
genotype 1, 2 and 3 coinfection."
As described by Susanna Naggie from Duke
Clinical Research Institute, the open-label phase 3 PHOTON-1 trial evaluated
the safety and efficacy of Gilead Sciences' recently approved HCV NS5B
polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir (Sovaldi,
formerly GS-7977) plus ribavirin for co-infected individuals with HCV genotypes 1,
2 or 3.
Sofosbuvir's FDA label indication – the same for both
people with HCV mono-infection and for people with HIV/HCV co-infection – is sofosbuvir plus ribavirin
dual therapy for 12 weeks for HCV genotype 2 and 24 weeks for genotype 3, while
people with genotypes 1 or 4 are advised to use sofosbuvir with pegylated
interferon and ribavirin for 12 weeks.
PHOTON-1 enrolled 114 people with genotype 1 HCV and HIV co-infection
who had not previously taken treatment for hepatitis C. They received
400mg once-daily sofosbuvir plus 1000-1200mg
weight-based ribavirin for 24 weeks. In addition, the study also
included 68
treatment-naive and 41 treatment-experienced people with HCV genotypes 2
or 3.
Previously untreated patients received sofosbuvir and ribavirin for 12
weeks
while prior non-responders were treated for 24 weeks.
Across all study arms, most participants (about 85%)
were men and the mean age was about 50 years. One-third of participants with HCV genotype 1
and about 15% of participants with genotype 2 or 3 were black. Thirty per cent of treatment-naive
patients and half of treatment-experienced participants had the favourable
IL28B CC gene variant associated with good interferon responsiveness. Most
genotype 1 patients (79%) had harder-to-treat subtype 1a. Rates of liver
cirrhosis ranged from 4% among treatment-naive genotype 1 patients to 24% in the
treatment-experienced genotype 2/3 group.
Participants had well-controlled HIV disease. More
than 90% were on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and mean CD4 cell count was
above 600 cells/mm3. Unlike some HCV protease inhibitors, sofosbuvir
does not affect CYP3A4 drug metabolism and it has no significant interactions
with many widely used antiretrovirals. More than one-third of patients used
efavirenz (Sustiva), nearly 20% used ritonavir-boosted
atazanavir (Reyataz) or darunavir (Prezista) and about 15% used the
integrase inhibitor raltegravir (Isentress);
most also took tenofovir/emtricitabine (the drugs in Truvada).
Naggie reported final data from the study, including
sustained virological response rates, or continued undetectable HCV RNA, at
weeks 12 and 24 post-treatment (SVR12 and SVR24).
Looking at the treatment-naive
genotype 1 patients, 76% achieved SVR12. One person had detectable HCV again
after completing treatment – giving an SVR24 rate of 75% – but this may have
been a case of re-infection rather than relapse.
Among treatment-naive genotype 2
patients treated for 12 weeks, the SVR12 and SVR24 rates were both 88%. Among
treatment-naive genotype 3 patients treated for the same duration, however, the
SVR12 and SVR24 rates fell to 67%.
Among treatment-experienced people
treated for 24 weeks, SVR24 rates were 92% for genotype 2 and 94% for genotype
3.
The two patients who had HCV viral
breakthrough while on treatment were found to have undetectable sofosbuvir
levels, indicating probable non-adherence. No resistance mutations (including
S282T) were detected on deep sequencing in participants with virological
failure.
Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin was
generally safe and well tolerated. Seven people treated for 12 weeks and six
treated for 24 weeks experienced serious adverse events, and four and three
patients, respectively, discontinued treatment for this reason. The most common
side-effects were fatigue, insomnia, headache and nausea.
Among the 11 people with HIV co-infection who
were not on ART, there were no clinically significant changes in HIV viral
load. There were two cases of transiently increased HIV RNA, both associated
with antiretroviral non-adherence. Absolute CD4 cell counts decreased – a
known effect of ribavirin – but CD4 percentages remained the same.
HCV subtype 1a vs 1b and IL28B status were not significant predictors of treatment
response in a multivariate analysis. People with liver cirrhosis appeared to
have somewhat lower response rates, but the number was small and the difference
was not statistically significant.
"The interferon-free regimen of sofosbuvir + ribavirin resulted in
high SVR12 and SVR24 rates in HIV-infected patients with HCV genotype 1, 2 and
3 coinfection," the researchers concluded.
Use of direct-acting antivirals appears to
overcome the disadvantage in treatment response for people with HIV that was
seen with interferon. At a hepatitis C press overview
on the opening day of the conference, PHOTON-1 co-author Douglas Dieterich from
Mt. Sinai noted that "overall
SVR rates were very similar" between the coinfected patients in this study
and HCV monoinfected people in other trials, and "adverse event profiles
are the same."
"I believe HIV is no longer a
player," Naggie stated.
These findings also support the growing awareness that
HCV genotypes 2 and 3 should not be classified together as 'easier to treat'.
In this study, people with genotype 2 had high sustained response rates with
either 12 or 24 weeks of dual therapy, but many genotype 3 patients appeared to
need the extra 12 weeks.
Other recent studies have shown that adding
other direct-acting antivirals to sofosbuvir can raise cure rates for
harder-to-treat patients and may eliminate the need for ribavirin. Gilead has requested approval of a co-formulation containing sofosbuvir and its HCV NS5A inhibitor
ledipasvir (formerly GS-5885), and this combination is being tested in people with HIV/HCV
coinfection.