bits and pieces

From Pegasys:
"1311 patients with chronic HCV monoinfection were randomly assigned to

PEGASYS 180 µg qw for 24 or 48 weeks, and
Ribavirin low-dose 800 mg or weight-based 1000/1200 mg/d
51% of patients infected with HCV genotype 1 and 82% of patients with HCV genotype 4 treated with PEGASYS 180 µg qw plus weight-based ribavirin (1000/1200 mg/d) for 48 weeks achieved SVR.

82% of patients infected with HCV genotype 2 or 3 treated with PEGASYS 180 µg qw plus ribavirin 800 mg/d for 24 weeks achieved SVR."

Below is a report from the AASLD Nov. 2013:
"A 12-week dual regimen of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin cures most people with easier-to-treat HCV genotypes 2 or 3, and an advisory committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month recommended approval for this indication."


The CC variant is more common in Asia and gets up to 86% SVR. These are the reasons G2 and G3 is considered easier to treat. G3 responds particularly well to Interferon and so does the CC variant. This information is easily found and verified.



However...... The new DAAs do not have such a good response when encountering G3. This is why it is now being claimed as harder to treat.



However again....... Those that are dual infected and have G3 are FAR less likely to get a response from DAAs.

Here is a trial result just out showing how much more difficult the dual infected are to treat with DAAs.


http://mobile.aidsmap.com/page/2832937

Interferon is still probably the preferred method for G3 dual infected patients. This would also be why they are going to 48 weeks..... It's not G3 that's making it harder it is the HIV because it damages the liver so much.

Biotron are also likely to be trialling with the easier CC variants but this will not be known until full results.

The market did not react to the original rapid viral response. It was likely waiting to see exactly how difficult the group were.

SVR12 is the benchmark not a continuous response.

The risk is in the relapse after treatment finishes.

They have definitely done a good job so far but nothing has changed since that first announcement. Analysts will be wanting to know the full details of the variants if SVR12 is achieved. Twelve patients achieving RVR is a good start.