Telaprevir for Previously Untreated Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 364; no. 25; pp. 2405 - 2416
• Main Authors: Jacobson, Ira M, McHutchison, John G, Dusheiko, Geoffrey, Di Bisceglie, Adrian M, Reddy, K. Rajender, Bzowej, Natalie H, Marcellin, Patrick, Muir, Andrew J, Ferenci, Peter, Flisiak, Robert, George, Jacob, George, Shelley, Rizzetto, Mario, Shouval, Daniel, Sola, Ricard, Terg, Ruben A, Yoshida, Eric M, Adda, Nathalie, Bengtsson, Leif, Sankoh, Abdul J, Kieffer, Tara L, Kauffman, Robert S, M.D, Stefan Zeuzem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Waltham, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 23.06.2011
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antiretroviral drugs; Antiviral agents; Antiviral Agents - adverse effects; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Antiviral drugs; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic infection; Clinical trials; Double-Blind Method; Drug Therapy, Combination; Employees; Fees & charges; Female; General aspects; Genomes; Genotype & phenotype; Genotypes; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepacivirus - isolation & purification; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy; Hepatitis C, Chronic - virology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Interferon; Interferon-alpha - adverse effects; Interferon-alpha - therapeutic use; Liver cancer; Liver diseases; Logistic Models; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Oligopeptides - adverse effects; Oligopeptides - therapeutic use; Patients; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Polyethylene Glycols - adverse effects; Polyethylene Glycols - therapeutic use; Proteinase inhibitors; Recombinant Proteins; Ribavirin; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA, Viral - blood; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Serine Proteinase Inhibitors - adverse effects; Serine Proteinase Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Skin; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Viral Load; Young Adult; Infection; Medicine; Viral disease; Digestive diseases; Hepatic disease; Antiviral; Telaprevir; Protease inhibitor; Viral hepatitis C
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1012912

In patients with HCV infection and no previous treatment, the addition of telaprevir to peginterferon–ribavirin resulted in higher response rates than those achieved with peginterferon–ribavirin alone. High rates of response were achieved with only 24 weeks of treatment. Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are at risk for progressive hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, portal hypertension, hepatic failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. 1 – 4 For the past decade, treatment with pegylated interferon (peginterferon alfa) and ribavirin has been associated with rates of sustained virologic response of 40 to 50% among patients with HCV genotype 1 who had received no previous treatment. 5 – 7 At least 48 weeks of treatment is required for most of these patients, and toxic effects may limit the extent of treatment in some patients. 5 – 7 Telaprevir, a linear peptidomimetic HCV NS3/4A serine protease inhibitor, was associated with . . .