Sofosbuvir plus Velpatasvir for Chronic Pangenotypic HCV Infection: Phase III Results

An experimental, once-daily pill for hepatitis C virus (HCV) leads to high rates of sustained virologic response across a wide range of patients, according to findings from four international, industry-supported, phase III trials reported below. The pill combines sofosbuvir (400 mg) with velpatasvir (100 mg; a novel pan-genotypic HCV NS5A inhibitor). The primary endpoint in all studies was sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after treatment ended (SVR12).

Some 700 patients with HCV genotypes 1, 2, 4, and 6 were randomized to receive sofosbuvir–velpatasvir or placebo for 12 weeks; an additional 35 patients with genotype 5 were assigned to active treatment (this genotype was relatively rare in the study regions). Roughly one third of pati…