New and Noteworthy
- Holkira Pak added to formulary in Ontario
- Increasing Hep C treatment could halve Hep C transmission in U.K. gay men over 10 years
- Statins linked to lower risk of liver failure and death in people with Hep C
Holkira Pak added to formulary in Ontario
Holkira Pak has been added to the provincial formulary in Ontario as of June 29th, 2015 for people with genotype 1 virus.
Holkira Pak is a combination of three direct-acting anti-virals (DAAs). DAAs attack the ability of the hepatitis C virus to make copies of itself. Holkira Pak consists of:
- paritaprevir, a protease inhibitor, which is boosted with ritonavir
- ombitasvir, an NS5A inhibitor
- dasabuvir, an NS5B inhibitor
Paritaprevir/ritonavir and ombitasvir are co-formulated into one tablet. Dasabuvir is its own tablet. Holkira Pak may also be taken with ribavirin.
In clinical trials of Holkira Pak, the cure rates ranges from 90% to 100%.
For more information on Holkira Pak, see the Holkira Pak factsheet and TreatmentUpdate 207.
Increasing Hep C treatment could halve Hep C transmission in U.K. gay men over 10 years
Access to new Hep C treatments with high cure rates could halve Hep C infections among HIV-positive gay men in the United Kingdom (U.K.) over the next decade, according to results of a modelling study presented at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress.
Previous studies have found a combination of factors to be associated with HIV-positive gay men getting Hep C, including condomless anal sex, serosorting (having condomless sex with partners of the same perceived HIV status), STIs that cause ulcers and sharing equipment to take drugs.
In 2015 in the U.K., approximately 8.6% of HIV positive gay men were estimated to have Hep C. The model found that if 80% of HIV positive gay men are treated within one year of getting Hep C and 20% of HIV positive gay men with chronic Hep C are treated each year the rate of Hep C among gay men with HIV would fall below 3% by 2025.
Treating people to prevent transmission of a virus is called “treatment as prevention” and is a strategy that has been used in HIV prevention for several years.
Further research will address whether this approach would be cost-effective. (aidsmap.com, June 2015, in English)
Statins linked to lower risk of liver failure and death in people with Hep C
People with hepatitis C and severe liver injury (cirrhosis) were significantly less likely to progress to liver failure (decompensated disease) and less likely to die if they used statins to control blood cholesterol, reported researchers at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress.
Using a large database of American veteran’s medical records, the researchers studied the effects of statin use on liver failure and death among people with hepatitis C and cirrhosis.
They analyzed the records from 1996 to 2009 of 685 people with Hep C, cirrhosis and who used statins and compared them to 2062 people who had Hep C and cirrhosis but did not use statins.
All participants were male, half were white and their average age was 56 years.
Statin use was associated with a 45% reduction in the chance of liver decompensation and death compared to not using statins.
Until randomized controlled trials are conducted, statins cannot be widely recommended for all people with hepatitis C and cirrhosis, concluded the researchers, but for people who otherwise require statins, “their use should not be avoided.” (HIVandhepatitis.com, May 2015, in English)