A six-week regimen of Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir) cured all acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among HIV-positive people with HCV viral loads below 7 million in a recent small trial, aidsmap reports. Researchers conducted a study of 26 HIV-positive individuals recently infected with HCV, two-thirds of whom had hep C genotype 1a while the remainder had genotype 4. Findings were presented at the 2016 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston.

The participants were either on HIV treatment with a suppressed HIV viral load or not on antiretrovirals and had no plans to begin taking them. The most common HIV regimens among them were Sustiva (efavirenz), Isentress (raltegravir) and Tivicay (dolutegravir), or Norvir–(boosted) Reyataz (atazanavir) and Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine).

Twenty (77 percent) of the participants achieved a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing therapy (SVR12, considered a cure). Four people experienced virologic failure, including three who relapsed and one who was reinfected with a different genotype of hep C. Two participants were lost to follow-up.

All of those who relapsed started the study with a viral load above 7 million. Two of them had genotype 1a and another had genotype 4.

To view a web cast of the conference presentation, click here.

To read the conference abstract, click here.