Gilead Sciences’ fixed-dose combination tablet of Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and the investigational pangenotypic NS5A inhibitor velpatasvir posted near-perfect results in curing an array of genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV), MedPage Today reports. Researchers in the Phase III ASTRAL-1 trial randomized 116 participants to receive a placebo and 624 to take Sovaldi/velpatasvir.

Results were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in San Francisco.

The participants had genotypes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. (The few people with genotype 5 were all assigned to the treatment arm.) The study excluded those with decompensated cirrhosis.

Across the board, 99 percent of those who received Sovaldi/velpatasvir achieved a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing therapy (SVR12, considered a cure). Broken down by genotype, the cure rate ranged between 97 percent for those with genotype 5 and 100 percent for those with genotype 2, 4 and 6. Ninety-eight percent of those with genotype 1a and 99 percent of those with genotype 1b were cured.

None of those receiving the placebo experienced a serious adverse event, compared with 19 in the treatment arm. One person in the treatment arm died; the cause of death was not determined.

To read the MedPage Today report, click here.