Sofosbuvir and Ribavirin Therapy for Children 3 to <12 Years Old With Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 2 or 3 Infection

Currently, the only approved hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment for children aged <12 years is pegylated-interferon plus ribavirin. In an open-label study, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for 12 weeks in children aged 3 to <12 years chronically infected with genotype 2 or for 24 weeks in patients with genotype 3. Patients aged 3 to <6 years weighing <17 kg received sofosbuvir 150 mg, and patients aged 3 to <6 years weighing ≥17 kg and all patients aged 6 to <12 years received sofosbuvir 200 mg once daily. Intensive pharmacokinetic sampling conducted in each age group confirmed the appropriateness of sofosbuvir doses. For all patients, ribavirin dosing was determined by baseline weight (up to 1400 mg/day, two divided doses). The primary efficacy endpoint was sustained virologic response 12 weeks after therapy (SVR12). 54 patients were enrolled (41 aged 6 to <12 years and 13 aged 3 to <6 years). Most were treatment-naive (98%) and infected perinatally (94%). All but one patient achieved SVR12 (53/54, 98%, 95% CI 90-100%). The patient who did not achieve SVR12 was a 4 year-old who discontinued treatment after three days due to 'abnormal drug taste'. The most commonly reported adverse events in patients aged 6 to <12 years were vomiting (32%) and headache (29%) and in patients aged 3 to <6 years, vomiting (46%) and diarrhea (39%). One 3 year-old patient had a serious adverse event of accidental ribavirin overdose requiring hospitalization for monitoring; this patient completed treatment and achieved SVR12. CONCLUSION: Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin was well-tolerated and highly effective in children aged 3 to <12 years with chronic HCV genotype 2 or 3 infection