Evaluation of Treatment Response in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Receiving Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir/Voxilaprevir: A Multicenter Real-World Experience from Türkiye

TL;DR

A study in Türkiye found that the drug combination SOF/VEL/VOX is highly effective and well-tolerated for treating chronic hepatitis C patients.

Contribution

Provides real-world evidence on the effectiveness and safety of SOF/VEL/VOX in treatment-naïve and experienced chronic hepatitis C patients in Türkiye.

Findings

97.5% of patients achieved sustained virologic response at week 12 (SVR12).

Significant improvements in liver enzyme and fibrosis markers were observed.

Mild adverse events were reported, with no serious events leading to treatment discontinuation.

Abstract

The combination of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir (SOF/VEL/VOX) is recommended as a salvage therapy for treatment-experienced chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. However, it is used in our country for treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients. This study aims to present real-world data from Türkiye on CHC patients treated with SOF/VEL/VOX. The present study was conducted by the Viral Hepatitis Study Group of the Turkish Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (KLİMİK). It was a multicenter, retrospective, observational study. The data were collected from patients receiving SOF/VEL/VOX therapy at 12 medical centers in Türkiye between 1 June 2022 and 31 December 2024. The patients had received the treatment for 8 to 12 weeks. Of the 139 patients enrolled, 63.3% (n = 88) were male, with a mean age of 54.4 years. Most patients were non-cirrhotic (94.2%, n = 131) and treatment-naïve (92%, n = 128); 49.6% (n = 69) were infected with genotype 1b. Early virologic response (EVR) could be assessed in 126 patients, with an EVR rate of 82.5% (n = 104). End-of-treatment data were available for 113 patients, all achieving an end-of-treatment response. Among the 80 patients for whom week-12 post-treatment data were available, 97.5% sustained virologic response at week 12 (SVR12). Significant improvements were observed in AST, ALT, and platelet levels, along with reductions in APRI and FIB-4 scores (p = 0.001).” No serious adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation were reported. Mild adverse events included pruritus (2.1%, n = 3), fatigue (2.1%, n = 3), and nausea (1.4%, n = 2). The SOF/VEL/VOX combination is a highly effective and well-tolerated treatment option in treatment-naïve CHC patients, achieving an SVR12 rate of 97.5%.

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