Efficacy of telaprevir-based therapy for difficult-to-treat patients with genotype 2 chronic hepatitis C in Japan.

AIM: This study assessed the efficacy and safety of telaprevir in combination with peginterferon-α-2b (PEG IFN) and ribavirin (RBV), for Japanese difficult-to-treat patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 who had not achieved sustained virological response (SVR) during prior treatment.

METHODS

In total, 108 relapsed (median age, 59.0 years) and 10 non-responding (median age, 59.0 years) patients with genotype 2 HCV participated. Patients received telaprevir (750 mg, every 8 h) for 12 weeks and PEG IFN/RBV for 24 weeks.

RESULTS

The SVR rates for relapsers and non-responders were 88.0% (95/108) and 50.0% (5/10), respectively. The SVR rates did not differ significantly between patients with rs8099917 TT and non-TT. The SVR rates for relapsers and non-responders with extended rapid viral response (eRVR) were 97.6% (82/84) and 100% (5/5), respectively. On the other hand, the SVR rates for relapsers and non-responders completing the treatment protocol were 98.4% (61/62) and 100% (5/5), respectively. The overall safety profiles of telaprevir-based regimens were similar for Japanese patients with genotype 1 and 2 HCV infection who experienced treatment failure.

CONCLUSION

Telaprevir, in combination with PEG IFN/RBV, provided a high SVR rate for genotype 2 HCV, difficult-to-treat patients who had not achieved SVR during prior IFN-based treatment. The eRVR had a strong influence on the cure rate of telaprevir-based therapy. In addition, the continuation of telaprevir-based treatment for up to 24 weeks was a significant predictor of SVR.