AbbVie’s Technivie (ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir) cures hepatitis C virus (HCV) at a high rate among elderly people, Infectious Disease Advisor reports.

Publishing their findings in the Annals of Hepatology, researchers conducted a multicenter prospective study of 70 people in Japan with genotype 1b of hep C who received treatment for the virus at six locations. Fifty of them were older than 65 years old.

The participants all received Technivie for 12 weeks.

Forty-seven (94 percent) of those older than 65 years old achieved a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing therapy (SVR12, considered a cure), compared with 100 percent of the 20 members of the younger group. The difference in cure rates was not statistically significant, meaning it could have been driven by chance.

Sixteen (23.3 percent) of the participants experienced adverse health events during the study.

After adjusting the data to account for various differences between the participants, the study authors found that the changing or discontinuing of non-HCV medications due to drug interactions took place independent of risk factors for adverse health events among those on Technivie.

The study authors concluded that Technivie’s tolerability should be monitored among older individuals who change or discontinue other medications because of drug interactions.

To read the Infectious Disease Advisor article, click here.

To read the study abstract, click here.