Glecaprevir-Pibrentasvir and Ethinyl Estradiol-Induced Liver Injury in a Patient Without Cirrhosis

TL;DR

A 33-year-old woman developed liver injury likely due to a drug interaction between glecaprevir-pibrentasvir and ethinyl estradiol, highlighting the need for pharmacovigilance.

Contribution

This is the first reported case of DILI caused by the interaction of ethinyl estradiol and glecaprevir-pibrentasvir.

Findings

The patient's liver function improved after discontinuing glecaprevir-pibrentasvir.

DILI was likely due to the combined effect of the drugs on the CYP 450 system.

There is a lack of evidence-based strategies for managing premature discontinuation of GP in HCV treatment.

Abstract

Most drug liver injury cases are the result of an unexpected interaction with medications. We present a 33-year-old woman, four months postpartum, on ethinyl estradiol/norgestrel, who presented in the ED with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and severe pruritus six weeks after starting glecaprevir-pibrentasvir (GP) treatment. The patient was suspected to have a drug-induced liver injury (DILI), and GP was discontinued. Other potential causes of liver injury were ruled out via labs, imaging, and liver biopsy. The patient's liver function significantly improved after discontinuing GP. Few cases of DILI secondary to GP have been reported. However, to the best of our knowledge, DILI from the interaction of ethinyl estradiol and GP does not exist in published literature. In our case, DILI was likely due to the effect of GP and ethinyl estradiol on the liver's cytochrome 450 (CYP 450) system. The aim of this report is to raise awareness and improve pharmacovigilance, especially in patients receiving medications that are metabolized by the liver's CYP 450 system. Early detection of DILI secondary to drug-interaction and discontinuation of the culprit medication is the mainstay of treatment. However, there is a lack of evidence-based management strategies for premature discontinuation of GP in the setting of DILI while treating chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Further investigations are warranted.

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