Benchmarking of an Intervention Aiming at the Micro-Elimination of Hepatitis C in Vulnerable Populations in Perpignan, France, to Inform Scale-Up and Elimination on the French Territory.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important cause of chronic liver disease. Among at-risk populations, access to care is challenging. The French Ministry of Health has supported a seek-and-treat pilot intervention aiming at micro-elimination in Perpignan, France, to inform scale-up of elimination efforts across the whole territory.

Prophylactic Proton Pump Inhibitors in Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Impact and Underprescription in a French Multicentric Cohort.

Background: Appropriate prescription of Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) remains an important concern amid the rising overuse. A gap exists in the literature regarding the benefit of PPI prophylaxis and the consequences of underprescription in patients at risk for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB).

Aims: This study aims to describe the characteristics of hemorrhage in relation to PPI use in patients experiencing UGIB, with a focus on high-risk individuals requiring gastroprotection.

Prognostic factors associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding based on the French multicenter SANGHRIA trial.

 Prognostic and risk factors for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) might have changed overtime because of the increased use of direct oral anticoagulants and improved gastroenterological care. This study was undertaken to assess the outcomes of UGIB in light of these new determinants by establishing a new national, multicenter cohort 10 years after the first.  Consecutive outpatients and inpatients with UGIB symptoms consulting at 46 French general hospitals were prospectively included between November 2017 and October 2018.

Evolution of Hepatitis C Virus Treatment During the Era of Sofosbuvir-Based Therapies: A Real-World Experience in France.

Background: Treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been dramatically improved with the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Universal access to pangenotypic DAAs was provided in France from 2017, expanding the type of patients treated. Real-world studies are important to confirm effectiveness and safety in clinical practice, particularly in vulnerable populations.

Efficacy and safety of treatment of chronic hepatitis C with sofosbuvir and ribavirin with or without peginterferon: a French prospective real-life cohort study of unselected 211 patients.

Introduction: Sofosbuvir is the first directly-acting antiviral for the treatment of hepatitis C virus. First, the regimens were combinations with sofosbuvir+ribavirin (SR) or with sofosbuvir+ribavirin and pegylated-interferon α-2a (SPR) with cure rates around 90%. The aim of this study was to report the results of these combinations in 'real-life' in France.

Effects of Age on Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C with Direct Acting Antivirals.

Introduction And Aim: Data on the efficacy and tolerance of interferon-free treatment in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in elderly patients are limited in phase II-III trials.

Material And Methods: A prospective cohort of adult patients with CHC treated in French general hospitals.

Results: Data from 1,123 patients, distributed into four age groups, were analyzed.

Hepatitis C treatment with all-oral direct-acting antivirals: Effectiveness and tolerance in a multicenter, prospective, observational study from French general hospitals (APROVVIE, ANGH).

Background And Aims: According to clinical trials, the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) with second-generation direct acting antiviral agents (DAAs) is highly efficient and well tolerated. The goal of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of various combinations of these drugs during their first 2 years of use in the real-world practice of French general hospitals.

Methods: Data from patients treated with all-oral DAAs in 24 French non-academic hospital centers from March 1, 2014 to January 1, 2016, were prospectively recorded.

Cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension-related bleeding and an indication for early-TIPS: a large multicentre audit with real-life results.

Background: The Baveno VI consensus meeting concluded that an early TIPS must be considered in high-risk cirrhotic patients presenting with variceal bleeding (VB) (Child B + active bleeding at endoscopy or Child C10-13 patients). Whether this therapeutic approach is feasible in a real-life setting remains unclear.

Aims: To determine (1) the proportion of patients eligible for early-TIPS among cirrhotic patients with VB, (2) the proportion of these patients who underwent early-TIPS placement and the main reasons for discarding TIPS, and (3) the outcomes of patients who experienced early-TIPS placement in a large, national, prospective, multicentre audit including academic and non-academic centres.

Middle-term mortality and re-bleeding after initial diverticular bleeding: A nationwide study of 365 mostly elderly French patients.

Background And Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the mortality and re-bleeding rates, and the risk factors involved, in a cohort of patients with previous diverticular bleeding (DB).

Methods: In 2007, data on 2462 patients with lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding were collected prospectively at several French hospitals. We studied the follow-up of patients with DB retrospectively.

Telaprevir- and boceprevir-based tritherapies in real practice for F3-F4 pretreated hepatitis C virus patients.

Aim: To assess, in a routine practice setting, the sustained virologic response (SVR) to telaprevir (TPV) or boceprevir (BOC) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) null-responders or relapsers with severe liver fibrosis.

Methods: One hundred twenty-five patients were treated prospectively for 48 wk with TPV or BOC + pegylated-interferon (peg-INF) α2a + ribavirin (PR) according to standard treatment schedules without randomization. These patients were treated in routine practice settings in 10 public or private health care centers, and the data were prospectively collected.

Renal dysfunction associated with telaprevir-containing triple therapy for chronic hepatitis C: is early prediction possible?

Introduction: Renal dysfunction has recently been described as a potential complication of tritherapy with telaprevir (TVR) in patients with chronic hepatitis C. This study aimed to identify predictive factors for and consequences of TVR-associated renal dysfunction.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective-prospective study was carried out in 96 patients with chronic hepatitis C, genotype 1, treated with TVR-based tritherapy in 2012-2013, in whom regular serum creatinine measurements were performed during the first 12 weeks of treatment.

In routine clinical practice, few physicians use early viral kinetics to guide HCV dual therapy treatment decisions.

Background & Aims: PROPHESYS is a large, multinational, non-interventional prospective cohort study of chronic hepatitis C patients treated with peginterferon alfa/ribavirin. This subanalysis assesses rates of premature treatment discontinuation stratified by on-treatment virological response (VR).

Methods: This PROPHESYS subanalysis is restricted to treatment-naive, hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (G)1/2/3 mono-infected patients who received peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD)/ribavirin with intended treatment duration of 48 (G1) or 24 weeks (G2/3).

[Hepatitis C in prison settings: screening and therapy are improving. Comparative survey between 2000 and 2003].

Objective: To determine the real frequency of hepatitis C (HCV) in French prisons.

Aims And Methods: To evaluate the changes in HCV screening and therapeutic practices in prisons between 2000 and 2003 by comparing results of mail surveys of prison medical units both years (* if p<0.01).

Daily or three times per week interferon alpha-2b in combination with ribavirin or interferon alone for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C not responding to previous interferon alone.

Background/aims: We compared the efficacy and safety of the combined therapy of daily interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin with those of interferon alpha-2b three times per week alone or in combination with ribavirin in non-responder patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Methods: A total of 376 patients were randomly assigned to receive interferon alpha-2b (6 MU three times per week for 24 weeks followed by 3 MU three times per week for 24 weeks) alone (group A) or in combination with ribavirin for 48 weeks (group B), or daily interferon alpha-2b (3 MU per day for 24 weeks followed by 3 MU three times per week for 24 weeks) and ribavirin (group C).

Results: After 24 weeks of therapy, HCV RNA was undetectable in 11.