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The effect of direct-acting antiviral agents for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has not been well established in patients with decompensated cirrhosis, an advanced form of the disease that usually requires transplantation or it can be fatal.
In a study presented at the Joint International Congress of ILTS, ELITA & LICAGE in Prague, Czech Republic[1]
(26 May 2017), researchers compared 623 people who received sofosbuvir in randomised trials with 1,857 untreated controls from a liver transplant waiting list.
At 48 weeks, 95% of patients in the sofosbuvir group were alive and had not undergone transplant compared with 30% of controls. The liver transplant rate was only 3% in sofosbuvir patients compared with 43% among controls.
HCV treatment should be considered for patients with decompensated cirrhosis, the researchers conclude.
References
[1] Dong L, Leise M, Gilroy R et al. Impact of treating vs. not treating HCV on MELD Score, mortality and liver transplant rate in patients with decompensated cirrhosis — analysis of global clinical trials database and scientific registry of transplant recipients (SRTR). Presented at: 2017 Joint International Congress of ILTS, ELITA & LICAGE; 2017 24–27 May; Prague, Czech Republic.
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