People who are treated for hepatitis C virus (HCV) with Daklinza (daclatasvir)-based regimens tend to do very well going forward, according to a new large study that followed such individuals long term.

Publishing their findings in Liver International, researchers enrolled 1,503 people starting in February 2012 who had just been treated with Daklinza-based regimens. The participants were followed for a median 111 weeks after the 12-week posttreatment mark; the study ended follow-up in October 2015.

Sixty percent of the participants were male. Eighteen percent were age 65 or older. Eighty-seven percent had genotype 1a of hep C, and 45 percent had genotype 1b. Eighteen percent had cirrhosis.

Of the 1,489 people for whom there were available data, 1,329 (89.25 percent) achieved a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing therapy (SVR12, considered a cure). Of that group, 1,316 (99.02 percent) still had a sustained virologic response at their last study visit.

Twelve people who achieved an SVR12 experienced a viral relapse during the study’s follow-up period, including nine people who did so before the study’s 24-week mark and three who did so afterward. One of these people, as it turned out, had been reinfected with the virus. All told, 3 of 842 (0.4 percent) of those treated with interferon-free regimens and 9 of 487 (2 percent) of those treated with interferon-containing regimens relapsed.

Fifteen people saw their liver disease progress after completing treatment, and 23 people were diagnosed with a new case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the most common form of liver cancer).

Among those who did not achieve an SVR12, a respective 157 and 47 developed resistance mutations to their virus associated with NS5A and NS3 inhibitors. A respective 27 (17 percent) and 35 (74 percent) members of those two groups saw their hep C revert to what is known as wild type, meaning the virus no longer had such mutations, during follow-up.

To read the study abstract, click here.