Co‐Administration of Hepatitis C Direct‐Acting Antivirals and Enzyme‐Inducing Antiepileptic Drugs: Real‐World Experience From a Multi‐Centre Case Series

The management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients requiring ongoing enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (eiAEDs) presents a therapeutic challenge due to potential drug-drug interactions with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Evidence regarding DAA treatment efficacy in this context remains limited. This case series examined the outcomes of patients with HCV who continued their eiAED therapy while being treated with conventional regimens of DAAs. A total of 23 patients with HCV were treated with standard doses and durations of HCV DAAs in combination with eiAEDs. High treatment adherence was reported for 19 (82.6%) patients and 21 (91.3%) achieved sustained virological response; two were lost to follow-up. Despite potential for reduced DAA levels, no virological failures or serious adverse events were observed in patients attending follow-up. This represents the largest reported single case series involving concomitant use of eiAEDs and DAAs. The findings provide reassurance that standard-dose DAA treatment can be effective even when co-administered with eiAEDs.