AIDS 2014Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and ribavirin cured between 84 percent and 91 percent of people coinfected with HIV and genotypes 1 through 4 of hepatitis C virus (HCV), aidsmap reports. Results from the Phase III PHOTON-2 study of 274 participants were presented at the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) in Melbourne, Australia.

Treatment-naive participants with genotypes 1, 3 and 4 of hep C and treatment-experienced participants with genotypes 2 and 3 received 24 weeks of treatment with Gilead Sciences’ nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor Sovaldi plus ribavirin, while treatment-naive participants with genotype 2 were treated for 12 weeks. Twenty percent of the participants had cirrhosis.

Ninety-seven percent of the participants were also taking antiretrovirals to treat HIV. They were most commonly taking Sustiva (efavirenz) (25 percent), Isentress (raltegravir) (23 percent), Prezista (ritonavir-boosted darunavir) (21 percent) and Reyataz (boosted atazanavir) (17 percent). All of them were taking Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine).

Between 83 percent and 91 percent of participants experienced a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing hep C therapy (SVR12, considered a cure). The breakdown of the SVR12 rates are as follows:

Treatment Naive:

  • Genotype 1 (112 participants): 84 percent. Those without cirrhosis had an 88 percent cure rate, including 87 percent with genotype 1a and 100 percent for those with genotype 1b. Those with cirrhosis had respective cure rates of 65 percent, 62 percent and 75 percent. The presence of cirrhosis did not affect cure rates very much among the other genotypes.
  • Genotype 2 (19 participants): 90 percent.
  • Genotype 3 (57 participants): 91 percent.
Treatment Experienced:
  • Genotype 2 (6 participants): 83 percent.
  • Genotype 3 (49 participants): 86 percent.
None of the participants experienced a change in CD4 levels.

Five participants (2 percent) stopped treatment because of adverse side effects. Fifteen participants (6 percent) experienced grade 3 or 4 adverse side effects.

To read the conference abstract, click here.

To aidsmap story, click here.