Real-world effectiveness and safety of Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir for genotype 6 chronic hepatitis C patients in Taiwan.

Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) 6 is uncommon in Taiwan and reports of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) treatment for GT6 are few.This study evaluates the effectiveness and safety of LDV/SOF in treating chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with GT6 infection.CHC patients that were infected with GT6 and treated for 12 weeks with LDV/SOF at two hospitals were enrolled. All patients were followed for an additional 12 weeks after the completion of LDV/SOF treatment. Demographics, HCV viral load, lipid and sugar profiles, and adverse events were recorded and reviewed.A total of 127 patients were enrolled. Cirrhosis was found in 68.2% of them. Sustained virological response (SVR), determined by per-protocol analysis, was 97.6%. The SVR rates for cirrhosis vs. non-cirrhosis (96.5% vs. 100%, p =0.229) and low vs. high viral load (cutoff value: 10 IU/mL; 100% vs. 95.6%, p =0.108) were similar. Following HCV clearance, significantly lower glycosylated hemoglobin was present both in patients with or without diabetes mellitus. Twenty-three (18.1%) patients exhibited adverse events and each adverse event presented with an incidence of 0.8% to 3.1%. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were the most common. During treatment, 18 patients (14.2%) had ALT elevations consistent with more than grade 1 abnormalities and none had signs of decompensation. Renal function remained unchanged.The high SVR and excellent safety of LDV/SOF treatment for CHC GT6 patients suggests that LDV/SOF is a favorable option for treating GT6 CHC patients in Taiwan and Asia.