VIDEO: HCV reinfection rate low among people who use drugs

WASHINGTON — In this exclusive video from The Liver Meeting 2017, Gregory J. Dore, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, MPH, from the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, discusses the low rates of hepatitis C reinfection in people who use drugs and the safety of retreatment.

“A lot of clinicians are somewhat hesitant at treating people who inject drugs because they believe that they’ll become reinfected and unsuccessfully cured,” he told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “What we’ve found so far ... is that there are cases of reinfection, but the overall incidence of reinfection is relatively low.”

Dore presented follow-up data from the ongoing CO-STAR phase 3 study. The researchers designed the study to evaluate DAA-based outcomes among people who use drugs. Patients received Zepatier (elbasvir/grazoprevir, Merck) for 12 weeks.

So far in the study, the reinfection rate is approximately 2% per year among the successfully cured.

“Those individuals who are reinfected can certainly be retreated,” Dore said. “In fact, they’re quite easy to retreat because they’re infected with a new virus ... so successful retreatment is relatively straightforward.”

Dore and colleagues plan to continue the study for another 12 to 18 months.

Reference:

Dore GJ, et al. Abstract 195. Presented at: The Liver Meeting; Oct. 20-24, 2017; Washington, D.C.

Disclosure: Dore reports he is a board member of and received grants or research support and speaking and teaching fees from AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead and Merck.