Background and aim: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment in patients coinfected with HIV has historically been limited by poor efficacy and medication toxicities. Direct-acting antivirals (e.g. boceprevir and telaprevir) improve treatment results in clinical trials, but little is known about the outcomes in community-based coinfected populations. This project aimed to describe the real-world effectiveness of boceprevir-based or telaprevir-based therapies in HIV/HCV coinfected patients.
Materials and methods: We identified HIV/HCV coinfected patients of all genotypes in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system who initiated pegylated interferon and ribavirin with or without boceprevir or telaprevir from June 2011 to November 2012 (n = 134).
Results: Sustained virologic response (SVR) was higher in genotype 1 patients receiving boceprevir or telaprevir [n = 62, SVR = 50.0%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 37-63] versus pegylated interferon/ribavirin alone (n = 48, SVR = 33.3%, 95% CI 20-47). Patients with genotypes 2/3 treated with pegylated interferon/ribavirin (n = 24) achieved an SVR of 41.7% (95% CI 20-63). Only a few patients (15-25%) of each genotype completed more than 44 of 48 projected weeks. Treatment with boceprevir or telaprevir was the only characteristic independently associated with SVR in genotype 1 (adjusted odds ratio 2.2, 95% CI 1.1-4.7).
Conclusion: Addition of boceprevir or telaprevir to pegylated interferon/ribavirin improves treatment response in genotype 1 HIV/HCV coinfected patients. Treatment response is similar to reports from HCV monoinfected Veterans Affairs patients but lower than those reported in clinical trials. Early treatment discontinuation was common.