Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Med.
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1462706

Effectiveness of sofosbuvir-based treatments for patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 6 infection: a real-world study from East China

Provisionally accepted
Fan-Rong  Jiang Fan-Rong Jiang 1Xiao-Ting  Ye Xiao-Ting Ye 2He-Qing  Huang He-Qing Huang 1,3Yu-Tao  Hu Yu-Tao Hu 1,4Dong-Hui  Wang Dong-Hui Wang 1Su-Wen  Jiang Su-Wen Jiang 1Jia-Lan  Wang Jia-Lan Wang 5Airong  Hu Airong Hu 1*
  • 1 Ningbo No 2 hospital, Ningbo, China
  • 2 Ruian People’s Hospital, ruian, China
  • 3 Zhuji People’s Hospital, zhuji, China
  • 4 Xiangshan Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, ningbo, China
  • 5 Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Over the past decade, the proportion of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes (GT) 1 and 2 has decreased in almost all regions of China, while GT 3 and 6 have emerged as new challenges. GT 6 is unique in many respects, like high genetic variability and emerging resistant variants. This study aims to assess the efficacy of sofosbuvir (SOF)-based treatments in patients with GT 6 chronic hepatitis C (CHC).A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients with GT 6 HCV infection, who were diagnosed between July 2018 and May 2023. All patients received a 12-week course of SOF-based treatments. The primary efficacy endpoint was sustained virologic response (SVR), which is defined as having undetectable HCV RNA at 12 weeks after treatment completion (SVR12). The efficacy data for SVR12 were analyzed using both the evaluated population (EP) and per-protocol population (PP). For the PP populations, efficacy data were stratified using Forrester plots.Results: A total of 201 patients were included in the study. In PP population, the end of treatment virological response rate was 99.48% (190/191), the SVR12 rate was 99.31% (143/144), and the SVR24 rate was 100.00% (75/75). Only one patient with genotype 6a experienced a relapse 12 weeks after the completion of treatment, but her HCV RNA was undetectable both at the end of treatment and 24 weeks after the end of treatment. Additionally, the normalization rates of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were significantly higher at the end of treatment (EOT) compared to baseline (27.36% vs. 93.03%, 36.32% vs. 95.02%, P < 0.001). Significant improvements were observed in the levels of total bilirubin, ALT, AST, albumin, globulin, albumin/globulin ratio, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, platelet, fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), and aspartate transaminase to platelet ratio index (APRI) between baseline and EOT (P < 0.05).Conclusions: SOF-based treatments achieved high virological and biochemical response rates in patients with HCV GT 6 infection.

    Keywords: Hepatitis C virus, Genotype 6, Sofosbuvir-based treatments, effectiveness, chronic hepatitis C

    Received: 13 Sep 2024; Accepted: 08 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Jiang, Ye, Huang, Hu, Wang, Jiang, Wang and Hu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Airong Hu, Ningbo No 2 hospital, Ningbo, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.