Treatment with direct-acting antivirals in a multicenter cohort of HCV-infected inmates in Italy

BACKGROUND: People who are incarcerated have a significantly higher prevalence of HCV infection than the general population. Given their high-risk behavior, they represent a reservoir of HCV infection for the whole community.
METHODS: We evaluated all HCV-infected people who were incarcerated in 25 Italian prisons starting direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) treatment between May 2015 and October 2016. We collected information on demographic characteristics, liver disease, HCV-related aspects, anti-HCV treatment, HIV or HBV co-infection.
RESULTS: We enrolled 142 incarcerated people treated with DAAs. They were mostly Italians (93.7%) and males (98.6%). Median age was 50 years and 108/142 (76.1%) were cirrhotic patients. Prevalent genotypes were 1a (35.9%) and 3 (35.9%). Two patients were HBV co-infected, twenty-one patients (14.8%) were HIV co-infected and almost all (95.2%) received antiretroviral therapy. 118/142 (83.1%) DAAs-based regimens included sofosbuvir. Treatment completion rate was 94.4%. There were eight (5.6%) discontinuations, one (0.7%) due to an adverse reaction, one due to death (0.7%) and six (5.6%) due to release from prison. SVR12 was achieved in 90.8%. Four patients relapsed but no breakthrough occurred.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that in Italian penitentiary settings DAAs treatment is feasible and effective. This intervention is crucial for reducing HCV circulation with possible benefits to the general population.