A phase 2a trial of 12-week interferon-free therapy with two direct-acting antivirals (ABT-450/r, ABT-072) and ribavirin in IL28B C/C patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1

Eric Lawitz, Fred Poordad, Kris V. Kowdley, Daniel E. Cohen, Thomas Podsadecki, Sara Siggelkow, Lois Larsen, Rajeev Menon, Gennadiy Koev, Rakesh Tripathi, Tami Pilot-Matias, Barry Bernstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

66 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background & Aims: ABT-450 (combined with low-dose ritonavir, ABT-450/r) is a potent HCV NS3 protease inhibitor, and ABT-072 is a non-nucleoside NS5B polymerase inhibitor. The goal of this study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the peginterferon-free combination of ABT-450/r and ABT-072 with ribavirin in treatment-naïve patients with IL28B CC genotype, infected with HCV genotype 1. Methods: This was a phase 2a, multicenter, open-label, single-arm study in 11 treatment-naïve, non-cirrhotic HCV GT1-infected patients with IL28B rs12979860 genotype CC. Patients received ABT-450/r 150/100 mg once daily and ABT-072 400 mg once daily with weight-based ribavirin 1000-1200 mg/day dosed twice daily for 12 weeks. Results: Eight (73%) patients were male, 9 (82%) were Caucasian (including 3 who self-identified as Hispanic); mean baseline HCV RNA was 6.9 log10 IU/ml (range 6.5-7.3 log10 IU/ml). All 11 patients completed 12 weeks of treatment and maintained HCV RNA <25 IU/ml from weeks 4 through 12 of treatment. Ten patients (91%) achieved sustained virologic response 24 weeks post-treatment, with a second patient relapsing 36 weeks post-treatment. There were no deaths, serious or severe adverse events, or premature discontinuations. Adverse events were mostly mild and the most frequent were headache, fatigue, nausea, and dry skin. Conclusions: A 12-week regimen of ABT-450/r and ABT-072 with ribavirin was well tolerated with 9/11 patients achieving sustained virologic response through 36 weeks of post-treatment observation. These findings suggest that peginterferon-free regimens may have the potential to cure a high proportion of HCV genotype 1-infected patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)18-23
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Hepatology
Volume59
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2013

Keywords

  • Direct-acting antiviral
  • Hepatitis C virus
  • Interferon-free therapy
  • Sustained virologic response

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Hepatology

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