Background Hepatitis C genotype 6 (HCV-6) is prevalent in Southeast Asia. Data on the efficacy of direct-acting antiviral agents in chronic HCV-6 patients is limited and pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy remains standard therapy for those patients. Aim Meta-analysis was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of Peg-IFN plus RBV combination therapy for chronic HCV-6 patients. Methods Relevant studies were found by database search through Medline, Embase, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library. All published clinical trials assessing the efficacy of Peg-IFN plus RBV combination therapy for chronic HCV-6 patients were included. Sustained virological response rate (SVR) was pooled. We performed additional meta-analyses to compare the SVR outcomes of 24 versus 48 weeks of treatment in four head-to-head trials. Another second meta-analysis was also conducted to compare the efficacy of combination Peg-IFN plus RBV therapy in HCV-6 versus HCV-1 patients. Results Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled SVR of all single arms was 75% (95% CI: 0.68–0.81). The SVR of 24 weeks treatment was significantly lower than that at 48 weeks, with a risk difference of −14% (95% CI: −0.25 to −0.02, p = 0.02). However, when restricted to the patients with rapid virological response (RVR), there was no significant effect on SVR between these two treatment groups, with a risk difference of −1% (95% CI: −0.1 to 0.07, p = 0.67). The SVR in HCV-6 patients was significantly higher than that in HCV-1 patients, with a relative risk of 1.35 (95% CI: 1.16–1.57, p<0.001). Side effects were common, but rarely caused treatment discontinuation. Conclusions The results of this meta-analysis suggest that Peg-IFN plus RBV is effective and safe for HCV-6 patients. Shortening treatment seems to be feasible in HCV-6 patients with RVR when tolerance to treatment is poor. However, this decision should be made cautiously.
Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, PR, China;Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, PR, China;Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, PR, China;Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, PR, China;Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, PR, China
Recommended Citation:
Xiwei Wang,Fen Liu,Fang Wei,et al. Efficacy and Safety of Pegylated Interferon Plus Ribavirin Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 6: A Meta-Analysis[J]. PLOS ONE,2014-01-01,9(6)