Assessment of Patient Compliance during treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection using Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir with or without Ribavirin.

Background: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are welltolerated drugs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection (CHC). We aimed to assess the patient compliance during DAAs treatment of CHC. Materials and Methods: The study included 371 CHC patients commencing DAAs therapy. The socioeconomic status of patients was assessed at index time. Three questions were asked to all patients to determine their attitude towards DAAs. All patients were asked at each visit about drug adherence and side effects using a questionnaire. Adherence was measured using two equations; the first was Continuous, Single Interval Measure of Medication Gaps (CSG) = Number of days without any medication/total days in the interval and the second was, Pill count = (Number of dosage units dispensed-number of dosage units remained)/(prescribed number of dosage unit per day× number of days between 2 visits). Results: Out of 371 patients included in the study only, 368 patients continued the study divided into two groups; group (A) included 184 patients received (Sofosbuvir plus Daclatasvir) and group (B) included 184 received (Sofosbuvir plus Daclatasvir and Ribavirin). The adherence to DAAs was 99% in group A versus 100% in group B with no significant difference in CSG, pill count, and several days with improper timing of dosage between the two groups. The common side effects noticed in both groups were fatigue and headache. Conclusions: Treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection, using Sofosbuvir plus Daclatasvir with or without Ribavirin, is well tolerated with very high adherence and few side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]