ASSESSING PREDICTORS OF DIRECTLY ACTING ANTIVIRALS’ FAILURE AS A FURTHER STEP TOWARDS MORE EFFICIENT HCV ELIMINATION PROGRAMS: IL28B (IFNL4) GENE POLYMORPHISM HAS NO ROLE WHILE HIGHER ESTIMATED CREATININE CLEARANCE IS A FORGOTTEN FACTOR

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Sustained virologic response (SVR) rates after directly acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) exceed 95%. This encouraged policymakers to put plans to achieve HCV elimination by 2030. The remaining percentage of non-SVR12 can affect HCV eradication strategies in the real-world especially the compliance of large numbers of treated persons to follow up for assessment of virologic response cannot be guaranteed. Objective: We aimed to assess predictors of failure to achieve SVR after receiving sofosbuvir plus NS5A inhibitor as an important step towards achieving better HCV eradication strategies. Methods: During the period from 1st November 2018 to 1st November 2019, 1581 treatment-naive patients received sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir ± ribavirin at our unit and 10 patients were referred to us with HCV relapse after the same regimens. A total of 163 out of the 1581 patients were lost for follow-up before assessment of virologic response and excluded from the analysis. 20 out of the remaining patients failed to achieve SVR12. Data from the 30 patients with non-SVR12 were included in the case-control analysis. Results: Every unit increase in estimated creatinine clearance using modification of diet in renal disease study (MDRD) score, total bilirubin, and INR was associated with 1.03, 13.92, and 80.08 times greater odds of non-SVR12 (P<0.001, P=0.0016, P=0.02) respectively. The presence of liver cirrhosis on ultrasonography increases the odds by 10.03. (P=0.009). Conclusion: Higher MDRD score, INR, total bilirubin, and presence of sonographic features of liver cirrhosis are predictors of failure to achieve SVR12 using sofosbuvir plus NS5A inhibitor.