PMID- 35142658 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20220517 LR - 20220909 IS - 1998-4049 (Electronic) IS - 1319-3767 (Print) IS - 1319-3767 (Linking) VI - 28 IP - 3 DP - 2022 May-Jun TI - The efficacy of Elbasvir/Grazoprevir fixed-dose combination for 8 weeks in HCV treatment and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in treatment-naive, non-cirrhotic, genotype 4-infected patients (ELEGANT-4): A single-center, single-arm, open-label, phase 3 trial. PG - 225-232 LID - 10.4103/sjg.sjg_374_21 [doi] AB - BACKGROUND: Cost, adverse events, and long treatment duration can be significant obstacles in treating hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected individuals. Shortening the treatment regimen can minimize these barriers, thereby enhancing adherence and increasing medication availability to more patients. METHODS: This is a single-centre, single-arm, open-label, phase 3 clinical trial on treatment naive, non-cirrhotic, HCV genotype 4 patients. The study aimed to evaluate an 8-week course of Elbasvir (ELB)/Grazoprevir (GZR) in this population. The primary endpoint was sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR-12). The secondary endpoints were SVR-4, adverse events, and changes in health- and hepatitis-related quality of life (HRQoL). RESULTS: Of the 30 patients who were enrolled, 29 (97%) achieved SVR-12 and SVR-4 (95% CI: 90-100%). No patients experienced serious or life-threatening adverse events (AEs), but mild/moderate AEs were reported by 16 (53%). The most commonly reported AEs were itching/skin rash (20%), headache (16.7%), abdominal/epigastric pain and decreased appetite (13.3% each), and nausea/vomiting (10%). Marked improvements in HRQoL were reported between the first (baseline) and third (SVR-12) timepoints. HRQoL score improvements involved the physical, mental, and hepatitis-specific indices, and ranged between 6 and 42 points (out of 100, P