Twelve weeks of Janssen’s Olysio (simeprevir) and Gilead Sciences’ Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) boasted near-perfect cure results in a recent trial treating people with genotype 1 of hepatitis C virus (HCV) who did not have cirrhosis. Additionally, some subgroups of those treated for eight weeks had high cure rates, including those with genotype 1b.  

Researchers from the Phase III OPTIMIST-1 trial, which randomly assigned 310 treatment-naive and treatment-experienced participants to receive either eight or 12 weeks of treatment, presented their findings at the 50th International Liver Congress in Vienna, Austria.

The results of treatment were compared to the results of interferon-based treatment in a historical control group.

Ninety-seven percent (150 of 155) of those treated for 12 weeks achieved a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing therapy (SVR12, considered a cure). This bested the historical control’s 87 percent cure rate.

Eighty-three percent (128 of 155) of those treated for eight weeks were cured, the same as the historical control. However, among this group, those with a viral RNA count of less than 4 million before starting treatment had a 96 percent (46 of 48) cure rate; 93 percent (38 of 41) of those with IL28B CC genotype were cured; 92 percent (36 of 39) of those with genotype 1b were cured; and 89 percent (78 of 88) of those who did not have NS5A and Q80K polymorphisms before beginning treatment were cured.

The most frequently reported adverse side effects in the 12- and eight-week treatment groups, respectively, were headache (14 and 17 percent), fatigue (12 and 15 percent) and nausea (15 and 9 percent).

To read a press release about the study, click here.