Telaprevir-based Triple Therapy for Retreatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Patients with Genotype Four Followed in Our Clinic

Objective: Telaprevir-based triple therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients with genotype 4 is not recommended potently by the guidelines. There are few studies in the literature related to this issue. This study showed the antiviral activity and safety of telaprevir-based regimens in the treatment of treatment-experienced genotype 4 chronic HCV-infected patients. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study consisted of 12 genotype 4 HCV-infected patients. All patients received 12 weeks of telaprevir in combination with 24 weeks of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) alpha and ribavirin (RBV). Results: The sustained virological response (SVR) rate was six of 12 (50%). Notably, the rate of SVR in prior relapsers was 75% (6 of 8). SVR could not be achieved in non-responders. Conclusion: Telaprevir, a potent HCV NS3-4A protease inhibitor, has been used as monotherapy and in combination with PEG-IFN/RBV in patients infected with genotype 1, 2 and 3 HCV. Limited clinical data suggest that telaprevir has activity against genotype 4 HCV. In this study, it was observed that the addition of telaprevir to the standard regimen had a greater activity on treatment relapse patients with genotype 4.