Introduction: Real-world treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is complicated by many factors that are controlled for in the rigorous clinical trial setting. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of elbasvir/grazoprevir in a Veterans Affairs population with chronic HCV genotype 1b infection.
Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients aged ≥ 18 years with chronic HCV genotype 1b infection and ≥ 1 prescription of elbasvir/grazoprevir between February 1, 2016, and August 31, 2017. The primary analysis was conducted in the per-protocol population, which included all patients who had at least 11 weeks of treatment and had an available assessment for sustained virologic response (SVR) based on virologic data post-follow-up week 4.
Results: The per-protocol population included 3371 patients. Overall, 97.3% of patients were male, 60.3% were black, and 85.5% were HCV treatment-experienced. Comorbidities in this population included hypertension (74.4%), history of alcohol use (55.7%), and depression (54.8%). In total, 97.5% of patients (3288/3371) achieved SVR. Among patient sub-groups, SVR was achieved by 96.0% (290/302) of those with chronic kidney disease stage 4/5, 97.8% (1527/1561) of those with a history of drug use, and 96.6% (831/860) of those with cirrhosis. No statistically significant differences were observed in the proportions of patients achieving SVR, regardless of age, race, HCV treatment history, viral load level, treatment regimen/duration, history of drug or alcohol use, HIV co-infection, or chronic kidney disease.
Conclusion: Elbasvir/grazoprevir was highly effective in individuals with HCV genotype 1b infection in a large national Veterans Affairs clinical setting.
Keywords: Hepatitis C; Liver fibrosis; Real-world; Veterans; Viral hepatitis.