Background: In hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV-coinfected patients who failed a course of suboptimal hepatitis C therapy, retreatment with adequate doses and duration of pegylated interferon (pegIFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) is advisable in the presence of compensated advanced liver fibrosis.
Methods: The efficacy and safety of pegIFN-alpha2a (180 microg/wk) plus RBV (<75 kg: 1000 mg/d; > or = 75 kg: 1200 mg/d) given for 12 months was prospectively assessed in HIV/HCV patients with nonresponse or relapse to a prior course of suboptimal hepatitis C therapy. The main endpoint was the achievement of sustained virological response (SVR).
Results: A total of 52 patients were enrolled in the study (78% HCV genotypes 1 or 4; 56% with advanced liver fibrosis). Prior suboptimal regimens were IFN monotherapy (20%), IFN plus RBV (29%), and pegIFN plus RBV 800 mg/d (51%). Overall, 61% were nonresponders and 39% relapsers. Retreatment provided SVR in 30.8% of patients (19.5% for genotypes 1/4 vs. 72.7% for genotypes 2/3; P = 0.002). In multivariate analysis, HCV genotypes 2/3 [OR 22.2, 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.9-166.7, P = 0.003] and RBV plasma trough concentrations at week 4 [OR 3.9 (95% CI, 1.3-11.8), P = 0.01] were the only independent predictors of SVR.
Conclusions: Retreatment with pegIFN-alpha2a plus weight-based RBV for 12 months permits to achieve HCV clearance in nearly onethird of HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who failed a prior suboptimal course of hepatitis C therapy. Patients with HCV genotypes 2/3 and those with RBV plasma trough levels above 2.07 microg/mL show the highest chances of SVR.