Telaprevir Therapy for 24 Weeks Appropriate for Many with HCV Infection

Recent FDA approval of telaprevir-based triple therapy for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1infection was based on sustained virologic response (SVR) rates that were superior to those of peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin-only in phase III trials (JW Gastroenterol Jul 1 2011). Now, investigators have assessed whether a 24-week course of telaprevir therapy is noninferior to a 48-week course for treatment-naive patients with HCV genotype 1 infection and initial rapid virologic response (RVR).

In a multinational, industry-sponsored, randomized, phase III study, patients received 750 mg of telaprevir three times a day for the first 12 weeks plus 180 µg of peginterferon alfa-2a weekly and 1000 to 1200 mg of ribavirin daily for the ful…