BACKGROUND: Access to Directly Acting Antivirals (DAAs) for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment in Italy was initially restricted to severe patients. In 2017, AIFA expanded access to all patients, to ...achieve elimination by 2030. AIM: To investigate the impact of different hospitals’ organizational models on elimination timing, treatment capacity and direct costs. METHODS: Most Regional healthcare systems in Italy deploy a Center of Excellence (CoE) organizational model, where patients are referred to a single major hospital in the area, which is the only one that can prescribe and deliver DAAs. The study was conducted at Bergamo’s (Lombardy, Italy) Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital (PG-23), which deploys a Hub&Spoke model: the Hub (PG-23) prescribes and delivers DAAs while Spokes (four smaller hospitals) can only prescribe them. The study compares the two models (CoE vs. H&S). Patient journey and workloads were mapped and quantified through interviews with hospital stakeholders. Cost data were collected through the hospital’s IT system; the sample comprised 2,277 HCV patients, over one year. RESULTS: The study calculated the average cost to treat HCV patients (~ € 1,470 per patient). Key cost drivers are lab tests (60%) and specialist visits (30%). Over one year, H&S can treat 68% more patients than CoE. As deferred patients absorb up to 40% of total costs, the “Optimized” model was designed by streamlining specialists’ visits and involving general practitioners during follow-up. “Optimized” model increases treatment capacity and reduces costs of deferred patients by 72% vs CoE. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the importance of organizational models in efficiently achieving 2030 elimination.
Background & Aims
Obeticholic acid (OCA) has recently been restricted in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) with “advanced cirrhosis” because of its narrow therapeutic index. We aimed to ...better define the predicting factors of hepatic serious adverse events (SAEs) and non‐response in cirrhotic patients undergoing OCA therapy.
Methods
Safety and efficacy of treatment were evaluated in a cohort of consecutive PBC cirrhotic patients started with OCA. OCA response was evaluated according to the Poise criteria. Risk factors for hepatic SAEs and non‐response were reported as risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results
One hundred PBC cirrhotics were included, 97 Child‐Pugh class A and 3 class B. Thirty‐one had oesophageal varices and 5 had a history of ascites. Thirty‐three per cent and 32% of patients achieved a biochemical response at 6 and 12 months respectively. Male sex (adjusted‐RR 1.75, 95%CI 1.42–2.12), INR (1.37, 1.00–1.87), Child‐Pugh score (1.79, 1.28–2.50), MELD (1.17, 1.04–1.30) and bilirubin (1.83, 1.11–3.01) were independently associated with non‐response to OCA. Twenty‐two patients discontinued OCA within 12 months: 10 for pruritus, 9 for hepatic SAEs (5 for jaundice and/or ascitic decompensation; 4 for upper digestive bleeding). INR (adjusted‐RR 1.91, 95%CI 1.10–3.36), lower albumin levels (0.18, 0.06–0.51), Child‐Pugh score (2.43, 1.50–4.04), history of ascites (3.5, 1.85–6.5) and bilirubin (1.30, 1.05–1.56), were associated with hepatic SAEs. A total bilirubin≥1.4 mg/dl at baseline was the most accurate biochemical predictor of hepatic SAEs under OCA.
Conclusions
An accurate baseline assessment is crucial to select cirrhotic patients who can benefit from OCA. Although OCA is effective in one third of cirrhotics, bilirubin level ≥1.4 mg/dl should discourage from its use.
Background & Aims
In the direct‐acting antiviral era, treatment of genotype‐3 HCV (HCV‐GT3) is still challenging. Real‐life comparisons between recommended regimens, sofosbuvir (SOF)+daclatasvir ...(DAC), SOF/velpatasvir (VEL), glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB), are scarce. We aimed at filling this data gap.
Methods
Sustained virological response 12 weeks after treatment completion (SVR12) was assessed for all HCV‐GT3 patients consecutively treated within the Lombardia web‐based Navigatore HCV‐Network; differences in SVR12 across regimens were evaluated by logistic regression.
Results
Of the 2082 subjects with HCV‐GT3, 1544 were evaluable for comparisons between regimens: SOF + DAC (1023, 66.2%), SOF/VEL (369, 23.9%), GLE/PIB (152, 9.8%). Patients treated with former regimens were more frequently male, cirrhotic, HIV‐positive, pretreated, used ribavirin in their regimen, and had lower baseline HCV‐RNA. SVR12 was similar across groups: 94.8% in SOF + DAC, 97.6% in SOF/VEL, 96.7% in GLE/PIB (P = .065). At univariate analysis, SVR12 was associated with female gender (97.9% vs 94.8%, P = .007) and lower median pretreatment Log10HCV‐RNA (5.87 vs 6.20, P = .001). At multivariate logistic regression analysis, treatment with SOF/VEL was associated with a higher likelihood of SVR12 than SOF + DAC, but only in the absence of ribavirin (98% vs 90.3%). Female gender and lower pretreatment HCV‐RNA were independently associated with SVR12.
Conclusions
In a large real‐life setting of HCV‐GT3‐infected patients with a high proportion of cirrhosis, the success rate was remarkable. The slight advantage of SOF/VEL on SOF + DAC was significant only without ribavirin. The current prescription shift towards novel regimens (ie SOF/VEL and GLE/PIB) in easier‐to‐treat patients allows ribavirin‐free and shorter schedules without mining SVR12 in this <<difficult‐to‐treat>> genotype.
Obeticholic acid (OCA) is the second-line treatment approved for patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and an inadequate response or intolerance to ursodeoxycholic acid. We aimed to ...evaluate the effectiveness and safety of OCA under real-world conditions.
Patients were recruited into the Italian PBC Registry, a multicentre, observational cohort study that monitors patients with PBC at national level. The primary endpoint was the biochemical response according to Poise criteria; the secondary endpoint was the biochemical response according to normal range criteria, defined as normal levels of bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) at 12 months. Safety and tolerability were also assessed.
We analysed 191 patients until at least 12 months of follow-up. Median age was 57 years, 94% female, 61 (32%) had cirrhosis, 28 (15%) had histologically proven overlap with autoimmune hepatitis (PBC-AIH). At 12 months, significant median reductions of ALP (-32.3%), ALT (-31.4%), and bilirubin (-11.2%) were observed. Response rates were 42.9% according to Poise criteria, and 11% by normal range criteria. Patients with cirrhosis had lower response than patients without cirrhosis (29.5% vs. 49.2%, p = 0.01), owing to a higher rate of OCA discontinuation (30% vs. 12%, p = 0.004), although with similar ALP reduction (29.4% vs. 34%, p = 0.53). Overlap PBC-AIH had a similar response to pure PBC (46.4% vs. 42.3%, p = 0.68), with higher ALT reduction at 6 months (-38% vs. -29%, p = 0.04). Thirty-three patients (17%) prematurely discontinued OCA because of adverse events, of whom 11 experienced serious adverse events. Treatment-induced pruritus was the leading cause of OCA discontinuation (67%).
Effectiveness and safety of OCA under real-world conditions mirror those in the Poise trial. Patients with cirrhosis had lower tolerability. Overlap PBC-AIH showed higher ALT reduction at 6 months compared with patients with pure PBC.
Obeticholic acid (OCA) was shown to be effective in more than one-third of patients not responding to ursodeoxycholic acid in a real-world context in Italy. Patients with cirrhosis had more side effects with OCA, and this led to suspension of the drug in one-third of patients. OCA was also effective in patients who had overlap between autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cholangitis.
Display omitted
•Under real-world conditions, OCA was effective in ~43% of patients who were non-responders to UDCA, according to Poise criteria.•Patients with cirrhosis showed lower efficacy (29.5%), mainly attributed to reduced tolerability and higher discontinuation rate.•Patients with overlap AIH-PBC showed a comparable efficacy to pure PBC, with a higher ALT reduction at 6 months.•Most patients with PBC are still in need of additional therapy if aiming to normalise liver biochemistry.
PDF
