Impact of HIV and chronic kidney disease comorbidities on hepatitis C treatment choices, drug-drug interactions and hepatitis C cure.

Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection and chronic kidney disease add challenges to hepatitis C virus treatment. Objective To conduct a comparative study of treatment choices, drug-drug interactions and clinical outcomes in hepatitis C mono-infected patients, or those with HIV or chronic kidney disease comorbidities. Setting Hepatitis C treatment centers of West Midlands England, United Kingdom. Method An observational study was conducted analyzing datasets of all hepatitis C patients that were referred to a large tertiary liver unit in the West Midlands, UK between July 2015 and January 2018. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with diagnosis of hepatitis C alone or co-infected with HIV or comorbid with chronic kidney disease were eligible. Main outcome measures The treatment choices, relevant potential drug-drug interactions and sustained virologic response 12 weeks post end of treatment were assessed. Results Out of 313 patients, 154 (49.2%) were hepatitis C mono-infected, 124 (39.6%) hepatitis C/HIV co-infected and 35 (11.2%) were hepatitis C/chronic kidney disease comorbid. There were 151 (98.1%) of hepatitis C mono-infected, 110 (88.7%) of hepatitis C/HIV and 20 (57.1%) of hepatitis C/chronic kidney disease patients treated with 1st line regimens. Significantly more patients who had co-morbidity with either HIV or chronic kidney disease were prescribed 2nd line regimens (8.1% and 37.1% respectively), compared to patients with hepatitis C mono-infection (1.9%) (P value < 0.05). Comorbid patients (12.1% of HIV and 25.8% of chronic kidney disease) were more likely to required drug-drug interactions advice (grade 5) than hepatitis C mono-infected (1.8%). Higher cure rates were observed in hepatitis C mono-infected (95.33%), hepatitis C/HIV (96.1%) compared to hepatitis C/chronic kidney disease patients (90.3%). Conclusion This study shows that treatment pathways permitting access to individual treatment adjustments in accordance with comorbidities and with consideration of drug-drug interaction in a multi-disciplinary team, provides successful outcomes in hepatitis C patients co-morbid with HIV or chronic kidney disease.