Previous studies have reported that ribavirin-free regimens are effective for treating chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection. However, the efficacy and safety of ribavirin-free regimens remain uncertain. We conducted a meta-analysis of all available studies comparing the efficacy and safety of directly-acting antivirals combinations in the presence or absence of ribavirin. Ultimately, 15 studies involving a total of 4305 patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection were included in this meta-analysis. The outcomes showed that the sustained virological response rate was significantly higher in the group with ribavirin than in the group without ribavirin with a pooled RR (1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.03, p=0.02). The results also showed that the relapse rate was significantly lower in the group with ribavirin than in the group without ribavirin with a pooled RR (0.55, 95% CI 0.31-0.97, p=0.04). The risk of serious adverse events in the group with ribavirin was similar to the group without ribavirin with a pooled RR (0.86, 95% CI 0.58-1.29, p=0.47). In conclusion, regimens with ribavirin were found to significantly increase the efficiency in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection without increasing the risk of serious adverse effects.

CITATION INFORMATION: Guo Z, Gu J, He X, Chen G. The Safety and Efficacy of Directly-Acting Antivirals with or without Ribavirin for HCV Genotype 1 Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Transplant. 2017;17 (suppl 3).

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