Effect of addition of statins to antiviral therapy in hepatitis C virus-infected persons: Results from ERCHIVES.

Butt AA, Yan P, Bonilla H, Abou-Samra AB, Shaikh OS, Simon TG, Chung RT, Rogal SS, ERCHIVES (Electronically Retrieved Cohort of HCV Infected Veterans) Study Team. Effect of addition of statins to antiviral therapy in hepatitis C virus-infected persons: Results from ERCHIVES. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.). 2015 Aug 1; 62(2):365-74.

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Abstract:

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) have been variably noted to affect hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment response, fibrosis progression, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence, with some having a more potent effect than others. We sought to determine the impact of adding statins to antiviral therapy upon sustained virological response (SVR) rates, fibrosis progression, and HCC development among HCV-infected persons using the Electronically Retrieved Cohort of HCV Infected Veterans (ERCHIVES), an established, longitudinal, national cohort of HCV-infected veterans. Within ERCHIVES, we identified those who received HCV treatment and a follow-up of > 24 months after treatment completion. We excluded those with human immunodeficiency virus coinfection, hepatitis B surface antigen positivity, cirrhosis, and HCC at baseline. Our main outcomes were liver fibrosis progression measured by FIB-4 scores, SVR rates, and incident HCC (iHCC). Among 7,248 eligible subjects, 46% received statin therapy. Statin use was significantly associated with attaining SVR (39.2% vs. 33.3%; P? < 0.01), decreased cirrhosis development (17.3% vs. 25.2%; P? < 0.001), and decreased iHCC (1.2% vs. 2.6%; P? < 0.01). Statins remained significantly associated with increased odds of SVR (odds ratio? = 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI]? = 1.29, 1.61), but lower fibrosis progression rate, lower risk of progression to cirrhosis (hazard ratio [HR]? = 0.56; 95% CI? = -0.50, 0.63), and of incident HCC (HR? = 0.51; 95% CI? = 0.34, 0.76) after adjusting for other relevant clinical factors. CONCLUSIONS: Statin use was associated with improved virological response (VR) rates to antiviral therapy and decreased progression of liver fibrosis and incidence of HCC among a large cohort of HCV-positive Veterans. These data support the use of statins in patients with HCV.