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VIDEO: Viral decline, drug level measured with fine-needle aspiration

AMSTERDAM — In this exclusive video from International Liver Congress, Andrew Talal, MD, MPH, from the University of Buffalo, New York, discusses results of a study that used fine-needle aspiration to determine HCV RNA decline in plasma in patients treated with a direct-acting antiviral regimen.

The study comprised 46 patients with HCV genotype 1a undergoing 12 weeks of treatment with Viekira Pak (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir/dasabuvir, AbbVie) with ribavirin. The patients underwent fine-needle aspiration between one and four different time points to measure HCV RNA.

“There was quite a bit of variability in the liver-to-plasma concentration ratios,” Talal said. “However, what this does show is that for the first time all five drugs can be measured in the liver in samples undergoing fine-needle aspiration, as well as validation of the decline of liver HVC RNA levels. And on another note, it says that the [fine-needle aspiration] can be used as a method to measure liver-drug concentrations as well as viral decline which could have importance for either NASH or HBV.”

Disclosure : Talal reports receiving research and grant support from Abbott, AbbVie, Galactin, Gilead Sciences, Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Lily, Merck, Tibotec and Tobira; serving as on committee for or as advisor for Abbott Diagnostics, AbbVie, the Chronic Liver Disease Foundation, Merck and Pfizer; and serving on the speaker’s bureau for the Chronic Liver Disease Foundation and the Empire Liver Disease Foundation.