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New HCV NS5A inhibitor EDP-239 looks good in early studies, more evidence supports early hepatitis C treatment
Liz Highleyman, 2015-10-05 07:00:00
A new hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A inhibitor being developed by Enanta – EDP-239 – was well-tolerated and demonstrated promising antiviral activity against genotype 1 HCV in a single-dose monotherapy study presented at the 55th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) last week in San Diego, USA. Other researchers reported that HCV co-infection and progressive liver disease contribute to mortality among people with HIV, offering further evidence in support of prompt hepatitis C treatment.
ICAAC was once one of the major annual venues for the presentation of HIV and AIDS treatment research, and in some years it has also included substantial viral hepatitis content, but this year there were few reports on new hepatitis C treatments. This year's conference, jointly organised by the American Society for Microbiology and the International Society of Chemotherapy, was the last under the ICAAC name; next year it will be incorporated into the new ASM Microbe 2016 meeting.
Susanna Naggie of Duke University presented an update on therapies for hepatitis C (during the HIV antiretroviral therapy session) and overviews of treatment of hepatitis C in people with HIV and HCV co-infection.
Historically, people with HIV and HCV co-infection did not respond as well to interferon-based therapy and were considered 'difficult to treat' for hepatitis C. But this is no longer the case with new direct-acting HCV antiviral agents that can be used in interferon-free regimens. Current guidelines recommend that people with both viruses should take the same hepatitis C treatment regimens and for the same duration as HIV-negative people with hepatitis C, except for taking into account potential drug-drug interactions with antiretrovirals.
Highly effective and well-tolerated interferon-free therapies are now available, including Gilead Sciences' sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) and sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (Harvoni), AbbVie's paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir and dasabuvir (Viekirax and Exviera), and Bristol-Myers Squibb's daclatasvir (Daklinza). But there is still room for improvement – especially for HCV genotypes other than 1 and 2 – and more competition could lower the high cost of treatment.
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