Assessing the Efficacy of Novel Antiviral Therapies in Treating Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major global health burden, with an estimated 58 million people chronically infected worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). While many people remain asymptomatic during the early stages of infection, chronic hepatitis C can cause long-term liver damage, significantly increasing the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. The primary objective of this technical report is to find the efficacy of novel antiviral therapies in treating hepatitis C in a tertiary care hospital in Lahore. This technical report was done in Shalamar Hospital, Lahore, from June 2023 to June 2024. Data for the report were collected retrospectively from 500 patients through a review of patient medical records from the hospital. Medical and electronic health records provided the patient demographics (age, gender, ethnicity), hepatitis C genotype, liver disease stage (fibrosis or cirrhosis staging), previous treatment history, and type of antiviral therapy administered (direct-acting antivirals (DAA)). Out of 500, there were 280 (56%) male and 220 (44%) female patients. The mean age of the patients was 41.23±5.67 years. Patients were divided among mild, advanced, and post-liver transplant as 320 (64%), 150 (30%), and 30 (6%), respectively. Among the DAA regimens, sofosbuvir-based therapies had the highest sustained virologic response (SVR) rate of 95%, followed by glecaprevir/pibrentasvir at 93%. Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir and other DAAs showed slightly lower SVR rates, at 89% and 87%, respectively, indicating high overall efficacy across different therapies. This report concluded that DAAs are highly effective in treating hepatitis C, with an overall SVR rate of 92% and good tolerability across most patient groups. However, patients with genotype III, advanced liver disease, or post-liver transplant status may require personalized treatment approaches due to slightly lower efficacy.