Direct-Acting Antivirals Effective for Hepatitis C in Seniors

For older patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV), direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy is effective, according to a study published online May 25 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Chiara Mazzarelli, M.D., from King's College Hospital in London, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review involving individuals aged 65 years and older treated with DAA therapy for HCV. Participants were divided into two cohorts: 88 aged 65 to 74 years and 25 aged 75 years and older.

The researchers found that the sustained virologic response rate was 97.7 and 95.8 percent in individuals aged 65 to 74 years and those aged 75 years and older, respectively. The likelihood of taking more than two medications per day for chronic conditions (84 versus 62 percent) and that of having clinically significant drug-drug interactions (DDIs) necessitating cessation or adjustment of medications before commencement of DAA therapy (80 versus 36 percent) were increased for individuals aged 75 years and older. The likelihood of experiencing an adverse event (AE) during therapy (50 versus 26 percent) and developing anemia secondary to ribavirin (60 versus 20 percent) was also increased for individuals aged 75 years and older.

"DAA therapy is highly efficacious for the treatment of HCV in older adults, but those aged 75 and older are more likely to have clinically significant pretreatment DDIs and experience AEs, including ribavirin-induced anemia, during therapy," the authors write.