Impact of Pharmacist Interventions on Direct-Acting Antivirals Sustained Virologic Responde and Drug-Drug Interactions
Infection by HCV is a growing global concern, given its effect on the mortality rate [1]. It is an important cause of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver transplant [2, 3]. In 2015, 71 million people were living with HCV. Several studies have shown that the number of new cases declined from the second half of the twentieth century. However, the incidence rate in 2015 was 23.7% (1.75 million new infections by HCV). This increase is related to different mechanisms of transmission. Besides the growing number of young injecting drug users in rural areas, there are reports of HCV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) infected with HIV. [4]. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) showed overall goals for the elimination of HCV infection by 2030. This include a 90% reduction in new cases of chronic hepatitis C, a reduction of 65% of deaths, and treatment of 80% of eligible patients[5]. The old therapy in chronic hepatitis C has been a challenge because of the adverse events related to the use of oral ribavirin (RBV) and subcutaneous administration of peginterferon (PEG-IFN). This old therapy had low rates of SVR. In 2015, direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) were incorporated in Brazil. DAAs shows a better efficacy and safety profile, and has a better tolerability for patients [6].
