[Efficacy and tolerance of direct-acting antiviral drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C in Joseph Raseta Befelatanana Teaching Hospital in Antananarivo, Madagascar].

OBJECTIVE

Our work aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of direct-acting antiviral drugs in the treatment of hepatitis C in Madagascar.

METHODS

This retrospective clinical study was carried out from March 2018 to February 2020 in the hepato-gastro-enterology department of the University Hospital Center Joseph Raseta de Befelatanana.

RESULTS

A total of 35 patients were included, out of which 24 received sofosbuvir/ledipasvir ± ribavirin, 10 sofosbuvir/ribavirin and one sofosbuvir/velpatasvir. Thirty-three patients were naïve to the treatment and 2 patients were initially treated with the sofosbuvir/ledipasvir combination. The sustained virologic response was 94% (33/35) in the general population, 23/25 in cirrhotic patients and 10/10 in non-cirrhotic patients. The sustained virologic response was 22/24 for sofosbuvir/ledipasvir ± ribavirin, 10/10 for sofosbuvir/ribavirin and 1/1 for sofosbuvir/velpatasvir. Adverse effects were observed in 13 patients, mainly asthenia and insomnia.

DISCUSSION: The small number of patients with hepatitis C treatments and their limited financial resources are the main limits of this survey.

CONCLUSION

Direct-acting antivirals are effective and characterized by good tolerance in these Malagasy hepatitis C patients.