Comparative outcomes of direct-acting antiviral treatment in patients with HIV-Hepatitis C co-infection: insights from a single center experience in Colombia

Background: Direct-acting antivirals (DAA) were introduced to Latin America with the aim of eliminating hepatitis C (HCV) in the region. There are scarce data on the outcomes of people living with HIV and HCV treated with these medications in Colombia. This study compares the outcomes of patients with HIV-HCV coinfection and HCV mono-infection treated with DAAs. Methods: Retrospective observational study including patients ≥18 years old with HCV infection treated with DAAs from August 2017 to December 2019 in a comprehensive center in Colombia. The main outcome was sustained virologic response (SVR). Secondary outcomes included reinfection, relapse and adverse events. Results: We included 223 individuals with HCV treated with DAAs; 142 (63.6%) individuals were mono-infected and 81 (36.3%) co-infected. Genotypes 1b (49.7%) and 4 (33.9%) were the most common. Overall SVR after DAA treatment was 96.8%. Relapse rate was 2.24%, reinfection rate was 6.28% and adverse events occurred in 27.8% of cases. SVR was comparable in patients with co-and mono-infection (95% vs 97.8%, p=0.245). Conclusion: DAA were effective in mono-infected (HCV) and co-infected (HCV/HIV) patients and rein-fection was high in this last group.