Research ArticleSofosbuvir plus ribavirin for the treatment of chronic genotype 4 hepatitis C virus infection in patients of Egyptian ancestry

Background & AimsWe conducted an open-label phase 2 study to assess the efficacy and safety of the oral nucleotide polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir in combination with ribavirin in patients of Egyptian ancestry, chronically infected with genotype 4 hepatitis C virus (HCV).MethodsTreatment-naive and previously treated patients with genotype 4 HCV were randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive sofosbuvir 400 mg and weight-based ribavirin, for 12 or 24 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients with sustained virologic response (HCV RNA <25 IU/ml) 12 weeks after cessation of therapy (SVR12).ResultsThirty treatment-naive and thirty previously treated patients were enrolled and treated for 12 weeks (n = 31) or 24 weeks (n = 29). Overall, 23% of patients had cirrhosis and 38% had diabetes. 14% of treatment-naive patients were interferon ineligible and 63% of treatment-experienced patients had prior non-response. SVR12 was achieved by 68% of patients (95% CI, 49-83%) in the 12-week group, and by 93% of patients (95% CI, 77-99%) in the 24-week group. The most common adverse events were headache, insomnia, and fatigue. No patient discontinued treatment due to an adverse event.ConclusionsThe findings from the present study suggest that 24 weeks of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin is an efficacious and well tolerated treatment in patients with HCV genotype 4 infection.