Real World Cure Rates Near 90% for Hepatitis C Patients Coinfected with HIV

A recent study showed that 89.7% of patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV who enrolled in Curant Health’s C The Cure program experienced sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR12) post treatment.

This is the only second real world data set known for HCV patients with this profile and treatment regimen.

The patient cohort included HCV patients who were both treatment experienced and treatment naïve. Participants were predominantly infected with HCV genotype 1 and most had followed treatment regimens, such as Harvoni or Sovaldi.

“It’s one thing to achieve high cure rates in tightly controlled clinical trials, but achieving high cure rates in real world conditions for coinfected patients who have difficulty accessing therapies is something else entirely,” said Vickie Andros, PharmD, director of clinical services for Curant Health. “The ability to overcome challenges related to access and helping our patients maintain outstanding adherence to their medication regimens allow us to achieve positive outcomes like these.”

During a 2012 study, Curant’s medication management protocols were able to improve the number of HIV patients who are at least 95% adherent to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) by 69%.

Additionally, the increase in CD4 cell counts is associated with an overall health care cost savings of about $3000 per-patient-per-year.

In another recent study, researchers at the University of Alabama Birmingham evaluated 650 HIV-positive patients enrolled with Curant Health for enhanced pharmacy services. These services include dedicated care teams and patient education programs.

When the study concluded, researchers observed a statistically significant increase in the proportion of patients with a suppressed HIV viral load, which jumped from 73% to 88%.

“A 90% hepatitis C cure rate for coinfected patients validates how well our protocols and people work to derive the highest value possible from specialty medications,” said Curant Health CEO, Patrick Dunham. “We have known for years that our approach to patient support and MTM improves adherence, outcomes and lives, especially for chronically ill patients with conditions like HIV and hepatitis C.”