Efficacy of the "first wave" Direct Acting antivirals against HCV infection: results from the Italian LINA (Liver Network Activity) cohort.

Approximately 71 million people are chronically infected with HCV worldwide. Recently, interferonfree therapies effective against HCV became available and nowadays, therapeutic strategies include a combination of two or three drugs with different mechanisms of action. In the present study, we reported real-life SVR rates in a large cohort of four prescribing centers in a high-endemic area of Southern Italy. We conducted a prospective multicenter study among all the patients with chronic HCV infection, who received therapy with the first available interferon-free therapies between March 2015 and December 2017 and who referred to one of the 4 DAA-prescribing centers in Campania, Southern Italy. Patients with Child C cirrhosis, a diagnosis of active HCC at the baseline or who refused the consent form, were excluded. Nine-hundred fifty-three patients were enrolled. Most of the enrolled patients had HCV genotype 1b infection (66.4%), were older than 65 years (64.1%) and had advanced liver fibrosis (Metavir > F4) (73.5%). The overall SVR12 rate was 98.5%. Patients with clinical cirrhosis had a similar SVR12 rate compared with those without cirrhosis (97.8% vs 99.2%, p=0.09), while patients with decompensated cirrhosis had a significantly lower rate of SVR12 compared with those without decompensated disease (95.3% vs 99.0%, p<0.05). Patients aged more than 65 years had a similar rate of SVR12 compared with patients aged ≤ 65 years (98.6% vs 98.0%, p=0.57). Among patients >65 years, those with clinical cirrhosis, as well as those with advanced liver fibrosis, had a similar SVR12 rate compared with the patients with a Metavir score < F4 (98.3% vs 99.0%, p=0.70 and 98.6% vs 98.6%, p=1.00, respectively). In the present, real-life study, DAA regimens are effective and safe in patients with chronic HCV infection, regardless of age and stage of liver disease, providing very high rates of SVR12 (98.5%).