Odds of hep C recurrence ‘low’ after achieving SVR, even in high-risk groups
Patients treated with direct-acting antivirals are more likely to acquire a new infection than relapse, data show
Patients with hepatitis C who have achieved a sustained virological response after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy are unlikely to develop the disease again, even with high-risk behaviours, a literature review finds.
The findings suggest doctors should not be reluctant to prescribe DAA therapy for people who remain injecting drug users, are in prison, or are men who have sex with men, the researchers say.
They found 43 studies that followed patients with HCV (63% male, 83% White) for at least six months — and up to 28 months — after they had achieved a sustained virological response (SVR) with DAA treatment.
Only 289 patients out of more than 27,000 in the analysis had a recurrence of HCV.
