Serial changes in renal indices in chronic HCV patients with and without HIV co-infection receiving sofosbuvir and tenofovir-based therapies.

BACKGROUND

Sofosbuvir (SOF) is authorized for hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients. The nephrotoxicity of SOF on HCV mono-infected and HCV-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) remains controversial.

METHODS

A prospective study including 159 HCV mono-infected and 124 HCV-HIV individuals (47 were ART naïve and 77 were tenofovir [TDF]-based ART) who presented with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥30 ml/min/1.73 m2 at baseline and were treated with SOF-daclatasvir for 12 weeks. The eGFR was estimated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation over the study period.

RESULTS

HCV patients had a progressive decline in median levels of eGFR compared with HCV-HIV patients who were ART naïve and those receiving TDF-based ART during and after discontinuing SOF-DAC treatment (96, 109 and 114 at baseline vs 94, 117 and 108 at the end of treatment [EOT]) vs 95, 114 and 115 ml/min/1.73 m2 at 12 weeks after treatment [SVR12], respectively). Moreover, the rate of eGFR stage worsening was more pronounced in HCV mono-infected compared with HCV-HIV individuals who were ART naïve and those receiving TDF-based ART (21.4% vs 8.5% and 14.3% at EOT; 21.4% vs 2.1% and 6.5% at SVR12, respectively). Multivariable regression analysis showed that baseline variables were not independent predictors of eGFR stage worsening either at EOT or SVR12.

CONCLUSIONS

Because the changes in eGFR were minimal and not of clinical significance, and TDF was not associated with an increase in renal dysfunction, SOF-based direct-acting antivirals could be safely used in HCV mono-infected and HCV-HIV individuals, even in those on TDF-based ART.