CROI 2015AbbVie’s Viekira Pak (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir; dasabuvir) plus ribavirin boasts a hepatitis C virus (HCV) cure rate in the low-90 percent range among those with genotype 1 of the virus who are coinfected with HIV. Researchers presented findings from the Phase II/III open-label TURQUOISE-I study at the 2015 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, and also published their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“It is common for people to live with both [genotype 1 of] HCV and HIV, but data supporting treatment of chronic HCV in these co-infected patients have been limited,” Michael Severino, MD, executive vice president, research and development and chief scientific officer at AbbVie, said in a press release.

The study included 63 treatment-naive participants with genotype 1 of hep C who were coinfected with HIV. They were randomly assigned to take either 12 or 24 weeks of Viekira Pak plus ribavirin.

At week two of treatment, 92 percent (58 out of 63) of the participants had an undetectable hep C viral load. Among those treated for 12 weeks, 94 percent (29 out of 31) achieved a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing therapy (SVR12, considered a cure). Among those treated for 24 weeks, 91 percent (29 of 32) were cured. The difference between these two groups was not statistically significant, meaning it could have occurred by chance, and the cure rates were essentially equivalent.

The most common side effects were fatigue (48 percent), insomnia (19 percent), nausea (18 percent) and headache (16 percent). None of the side effects were serious or led participants to stop treatment.

To read the study abstract, click here.