Hepatitis C Treatment Could Be Shortened From 12 to 8 Weeks, Indian Study Finds
Treatment for chronic hepatitis C could potentially be shortened from the standard 12 weeks to eight weeks for treatment-naive patients without cirrhosis, following findings from an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-funded clinical trial published
Treatment for chronic hepatitis C could potentially be shortened from the standard 12 weeks to eight weeks for treatment-naive patients without cirrhosis, following findings from an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-funded clinical trial published in The Lancet.
The RESOLVE trial, led by researchers from Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow, evaluated the effectiveness of an eight-week course of the direct-acting antiviral combination sofosbuvir 400 mg and velpatasvir 100 mg against the standard 12-week regimen. The multicentre trial involved 880 patients across five publicly funded hospitals in India.
Among participants who completed treatment and follow-up, 98.8% of those receiving the eight-week regimen achieved sustained virological response, compared with 99% in the 12-week group. The study found the shorter treatment to be non-inferior to the standard regimen, with no drug-related serious adverse events or treatment discontinuations due to adverse events reported.
The findings could have significant implications for hepatitis C treatment programmes in India, where an estimated 60 lakh people require treatment. Researchers estimate that reducing treatment by four weeks could lower the cost by around ₹5,000 per patient, based on the current cost of approximately ₹15,000 for a 12-week course of Indian-made medicines. This could translate into potential savings of around ₹3,000 crore if the shorter regimen were adopted for the relevant patient population.
However, the researchers have clarified that the findings apply specifically to treatment-naive patients without cirrhosis and do not mean that all people with hepatitis C can immediately shift to an eight-week course. Treatment duration remains dependent on individual clinical assessment and applicable treatment guidelines.
The study provides new evidence for potentially reducing treatment duration while maintaining high cure rates, with researchers planning further work to assess shorter treatment approaches in patients with cirrhosis.
