Gastroenterologists have welcomed the PBS listing of an eight week pan-genotypic antiviral regimen, glecaprevir/pibrentasvir tablets (Maviret), for people with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

From 1 August Maviret will be available on the PBS as a once-daily eight-week course of  treatment-naïve non-cirrhotic patients across all major genotypes (GT1-6) and a 12 week course for those with cirrhosis.

Associate Professor Simone Strasser, a liver specialist at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital said the listing was a welcome addition to HCV treatment options, particularly for patients treated in the community.

The high efficacy of around 98% and the shorter treatment course compared to the 12 week courses of other pan-genotypic antivirals would make Maviret a useful potential contributor to HCV elimination, she told the limbic.

“For non-cirrhotic patients It is only eight weeks, which is one supply and one repeat and this will make it easy to deliver in community settings,” she said

Maviret was also suitable for use in specialist settings for patients with more advanced liver disease and in patients with kidney failure, noted Professor Strasser, who is president elect of GESA.

Professor Gregory Dore, Head of the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program, Kirby Institute, University of NSW, said: “The inclusion of MAVIRET on the PBS provides a further tool in the strategy to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat in Australia, and globally.

The short duration of eight weeks for patients without cirrhosis and who have not previously received treatment, and the high cure rates across all strains of hepatitis C are impressive aspects of this new regimen.”