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Fluvastatin enhances HCV response in combination with interferon and ribavirin

March 31st, 2011

New data presented today at the International Liver CongressTM confirm the antiviral activity of fluvastatin -- commonly used as a cholesterol-lowering treatment -- in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV).

Patients had improved early and sustained virological response (EVR and SVR) when treated with the current standard of care - pegylated Interferon-alpha and ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV) - and fluvastatin. The results show patients receiving fluvastatin and PegIFN/RBV achieve higher rates of EVR and SVR - 75.96% and 63.46% - to those receiving placebo and PegIFN/RBV - 61.9% and 49.52% respectively.

EASL's Secretary General, Professor Heiner Wedemeyer, said: "We know that metabolic syndrome (MS), the main treatment indication for statins, is associated with severe fibrosis and lower treatment responses in chronic HCV patients. The confirmation that the combination of fluvastatin and PegIFN/RBV could provide better clinical outcomes for those patients with co-morbid chronic HCV and MS is very exciting for clinicians".

Even in patients without MS, the study shows that responses to treatment are still higher in patients treated with fluvastatin and PegIFN/RBV (EVR 85.36% versus 71.42% and SVR 74.39% vs. 58.44).

"Today, healthcare professionals have to be mindful when considering health provision and treatment costs. We cannot overlook the importance of opportunities to maximise more affordable drugs' potential to complement the current standard of care for chronic HCV management," said Professor Wedemeyer.

This new study concludes that the synergistic effects between fluvastatin and PegIFN/RBV shows lipid lowering drugs may favour HCV clearance and be useful as a chronic HCV treatment, irrespective of the presence of metabolic syndrome.

More information:
References

1. Georgescu E et al. Potential enhancement of both early (EVR) and sustained (SVR) virological response by fluvastatin in chronic hepatitis C trated [sic] with standard pegifn-ribavirin therapy. A pilot study. Abstract presented at The International Liver CongressTM 2011

2. Tsochatzis E et al. Metabolic syndrome is associated with severe fibrosis in chronic viral hepatitis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2008 Jan 1;27(1):80-9. Epub 2007 Oct 5

3. Bader T et al. (April 2008). Fluvastatin Inhibits Hepatitis C Replication in Humans. Am. J. Gastroenterol. 103 (6): 1383. doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2008.01876.x. PMID 18410471

4. heartdisease.about.com/cs/chol … sterol/a/statins.htm. Accessed 16.03.2011

Provided by European Association for the Study of the Liver

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