Sovaldi treatment has shown good results curing those who have recurring hepatitis C virus (HCV) following a liver transplant. Results from the study of 104 post-liver transplant participants with recurring hep C were presented at the 49th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in London.

The study participants, who had exhausted all other treatment options and who had poor prognoses, were treated with Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and ribavirin, along with interferon at the discretion of their clinicians, for up to 48 weeks. Out of those participants for whom there is available information, 62 percent have achieved a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing therapy (SVR 12, considered a cure). In addition, the same percentage has shown improvements in various clinical conditions related to liver decompensation or improvement in their liver function tests.

The drug regimen was well tolerated and suppressed hep C at high rates.

“There are currently no effective treatment options for this patient group,” EASL’s European policy councilor, Patrizia Burra, MD, PhD, of the multivisceral transplant unit at Padova University Hospital in Padua, Italy, said in a release. “However, this new trial involving the nucleotide polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir has demonstrated promising results, providing further evidence of its clinical potential.

“For patients with advanced hepatitis C liver disease, liver transplants offer a second chance,” she said, “and for those who continue to suffer post-surgery, it’s important for us to keep following up all avenues possible to improve their quality of life.”

To read the press release, click here.