No abstract

In patients with HCV genotype 2 or 3 infection for whom treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin was not an option, 12 or 16 weeks of treatment with sofosbuvir and ribavirin was effective. Efficacy was increased among patients with HCV genotype 2 infection and those without cirrhosis. In previously treated patients with genotype 3 infection, 16 weeks of therapy was significantly more effective than 12 weeks. (Funded by Gilead Sciences; POSITRON and FUSION ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT01542788 and NCT01604850, respectively.).

Once-daily sofosbuvir-velpatasvir for 12 weeks provided high rates of sustained virologic response among both previously treated and untreated patients infected with HCV genotype 1, 2, 4, 5, or 6, including those with compensated cirrhosis. (Funded by Gilead Sciences; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02201940.).

No abstract

Gilead Sciences.

Treatment with glecaprevir and pibrentasvir for 12 weeks resulted in a high rate of sustained virologic response in patients with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease and HCV infection. (Funded by AbbVie; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02651194 .).

Lamivudine has been shown to be an effective therapy for chronic hepatitis B, but resistance to this nucleoside agent is common after prolonged use. Five patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection developed resistance to lamivudine after 9 to 19 months of treatment. In 4 patients this occurred after liver transplantation and the remaining individual had stable cirrhosis. In each case, resistance was confirmed to be caused by one or more mutations in the HBV-DNA polymerase gene and was associated with active underlying liver disease. The patients were treated with adefovir dipivoxil in a dose of 5 to 30 mg daily. Two to 4 log 10 reductions in HBV-DNA levels were observed in 4 cases, and the fifth patient became negative by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after retransplantation in conjunction with hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIg). Virologic improvement was associated with stable or declining serum alanine transaminase levels in 4 patients. HBV-DNA suppression has been sustained during a mean treatment period of 13 months (range 11 to 15 months), including 1 patient in whom lamivudine has been discontinued. Mild changes in renal function were observed during treatment in most cases but did not require early discontinuation of the drug. This study provides evidence that adefovir dipivoxil can be an effective treatment for lamivudine-resistant HBV mutants as well as wild-type HBV. (HEPATOLOGY 2000;32:129-134.)recently has been licensed in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. This drug has been shown to be highly effective in inhibiting hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. [1][2][3][4] Clinical trials have provided evidence for histologic improvement as well as rates of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) disappearance and seroconversion to anti-HBe that are similar to those observed with interferon alfa therapy. [1][2][3][4] One of the observations common to all of these studies, however, is the emergence of lamivudineresistant HBV mutants that undergo mutation in the HBV DNA polymerase gene. Two types of mutation have been identified to account for lamivudine resistance. 5 Mutation at codon M552 of the YMDD motif results in substitution of isoleucine for methionine (M552I). An alternate mutation at this site results in substitution of methionine by valine (M552V). The M552V mutation is accompanied by a second mutation at codon 528 that results in the substitution of leucine by methionine (L528M). In a recent analysis of data from the phase III trials of lamivudine, Atkins et al. 6 reported that resistance to lamivudine developed in 16% to 32% of patients after 1 year of treatment. 6 More recently, resistance has been shown to occur in 38% and 49% of patients after 2 and 3 years of treatment, respectively. 7,8 The natural history of hepatitis B in this situation is not yet well defined, but there have been well documented cases in which clinical and histologic progression has occurred after liver transplantation, including rapid progression to cir...

Few studies have examined causes of death in long-term survivors of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We reviewed causes of death among 299 adult liver transplant recipients who survived more than 3 years after OLT at 2 centers. Thirty-eight of the 299 patients subsequently died. Nonhepatic causes accounted for 22 of 38 late deaths (58%). Death caused by malignancies occurred in 9 patients between 3.3 and 8.0 years after OLT. Eight patients died of cardiovascular complications. The 6 patients who died of myocardial infarction had risk factors for coronary artery disease. Hepatic failure caused by recurrent liver disease or chronic rejection accounted for 16 of 38 late deaths (42%). These 16 patients were younger than patients who died of nonhepatic complications (mean ages, 50.7 v 62.1 years; P ‫؍‬ .001). However, the mean interval between OLT and death was similar among patients who died of nonhepatic versus hepatic causes. Nine patients had recurrent liver disease leading to death, and 8 of 9 patients had recurrent chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Chronic rejection resulting in graft failure and death occurred in 7 patients. In summary, de novo malignancies and cardiovascular complications accounted for more than half the late deaths. Patients who died of nonhepatic causes were significantly older than patients who died of hepatic causes. Chronic rejection and recurrent HCV infection accounted for the majority of hepatic causes of death. With longer followup, graft failure resulting from recurrent HCV infection will become the major cause of death in late survivors. (Liver Transpl 2001;7:811-815.)