Adherence to Hepatitis C Virus Therapy Improves Virologic Outcomes

Treatment with interferon plus ribavirin can eradicate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections and prevent hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the degree to which medication adherence affects virologic response is unknown. To evaluate this relation, researchers used a registry of 5700 HCV-positive patients in the Veterans Affairs Health System. Adherence to therapy was evaluated at 12-week intervals using refill data from pharmacies. Early virologic response (EVR) was defined as a decrease of ≥2 log₁₀ HCV RNA copies at 12 weeks, and sustained virologic response (SVR) was defined as undetectable HCV RNA at 24 weeks after treatment ended. Risk factors for adherence also were evaluated.

Overall, EVR was achieved by 59…