Extrahepatic Insulin Resistance in Chronic Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C Virus Infection Induced Insulin Resistance: Different Contribution From Liver and Extrahepatic Sites as Inferred by Treating Chronic Hepatitis C Patients With an Interferon-free Antiviral Combination

In this pilot study, the investigators plan to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C due to HCV genotype 3 infection using an interferon-free regimen consisting in the administration of ribavirin and sofosbuvir/ledipasvir - a combination of a nucleotide RNA polymerase inhibitor with a non-structural protein 5A inhibitor. Patients will undergo a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp, using tracers, and indirect calorimetry to assess whether the viral suppression induced by this regimen will be capable of reversing the glucose metabolic alterations induced by HCV in both the liver and extrahepatic compartments. Adipose and muscle tissue biopsies will also be performed to assess some specific molecular changes induced by HCV.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Insulin Resistance
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Ledipasvir 90 mg/Sofosbuvir 400 mg; Drug: Ribavirin

Detailed Description

Epidemiological studies have shown that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection induces insulin resistance, which may progress to type 2 diabetes in susceptible individuals. Despite the fact that HCV infects the liver, insulin resistance in these patients appears to originate mostly in extrahepatic tissues, particularly in muscles and adipose tissues. The aim of this trial is to assess the relative contribution of hepatic vs. extrahepatic tissues to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in chronic hepatitis C. To do so, 20 patients will be enrolled in a single-arm, open-label study. Study subjects will include 10 patients without any feature of the metabolic syndrome, and another 10 with the metabolic syndrome. All patients will receive the same regimen consisting of Ledipasvir 90 mg/Sofosbuvir 400 mg, one tablet once a day, associated with body weight-dose adjusted, 200 mg-tablets of ribavirin (1,000 mg in two administration in patients <75 Kg of body weight, or 1,200 mg in two administrations for those >75 Kg) for 12 weeks. Insulin resistance will be investigated at baseline (before treatment) and after 6 weeks of treatment using a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp with deuterated glucose: results obtained at 6 weeks - i.e. at the time of complete viral suppression - will be compared to basal conditions i.e. before antiviral treatment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 17
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • GE
    • Geneva, GE, Switzerland, 1211
      • Division of Gastroenterology and hepatology, University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histologically confirmed chronic hepatitis C with HCV genotype 3a infection,
• Adult Caucasian patient males or non-pregnant or non-lactating females, aged 18 to 65 at the time of the screening;
• Informed Consent as documented by signature;
• Lack of contraindications to the class of drugs under study, e.g. known hypersensitivity or allergy to class of drugs or the investigational products.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cirrhosis;
• Excess active alcohol consumption (>30 g/day in males, >20 g/day in females);
• Active illicit drug use.
• Coinfection with HIV or hepatitis B virus;
• Concomitant medications with clinically significant interactions with the study drugs;
• Women who are pregnant or breast feeding or who intend to become pregnant during the course of the study;
• Lack of safe contraception, defined as: female participants of childbearing potential, not using and not willing to continue using a medically reliable method of contraception for the entire study duration, such as oral, injectable, or implantable contraceptives, or intrauterine contraceptive devices, or who are not using any other method considered sufficiently reliable by the investigator in individual cases;
• Other clinically significant concomitant disease states (e.g., renal failure, hepatic dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, etc.);
• Known or suspected non-compliance;
• Inability to follow the procedures of the study, including, but not limited to, language problems, psychological disorders, dementia;
• Participation in another study with any investigational drug within the 30 days preceding and during the present study;
• Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Active treatment; Ledipasvir 90 mg/Sofosbuvir 400 mg, one tablet once a day + b.w. dose adjusted, 200 mg-tablets of ribavirin (1,000 mg in two administration in patients <75 Kg of body weight, or 1,200 mg in two administrations for those >75 Kg) for 12 weeks	Drug: Ledipasvir 90 mg/Sofosbuvir 400 mg; Oral administration on one fixed dose combination tablet for 12 weeks; Other Names: Harvoni; Drug: Ribavirin; Oral administration of body weight-dose adjusted, 200 mg-tablets of ribavirin (1,000 mg in two administration in patients <75 Kg of body weight, or 1,200 mg in two administrations for those >75 Kg) for 12 weeks.; Other Names: Rebetol

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hepatitis C virus-induced insulin resistance	Increased (equal to or higher than 10% vs. basal) glucose consumption in patients with chronic hepatitis C but without the metabolic syndrome after complete suppression of viral replication induced by 6 weeks of treatment with Ledipasvir 90 mg/Sofosbuvir 400 mg and ribavirin, as measured by euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp using deuterated glucose, and compared to basal conditions i.e. before antiviral treatment.	6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Geneva
• Collaborators: Gastaldi Giacomo; Clément Sophie
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Francesco Negro, MD, University Hospitals of Geneva

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 30, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 2, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): May 3, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 1, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2019
• Last Verified: April 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Digestive System Diseases; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Blood-Borne Infections; Communicable Diseases; Liver Diseases; Flaviviridae Infections; Hepatitis, Viral, Human; Hepatitis, Chronic; Hyperinsulinism; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C; Insulin Resistance; Hepatitis C, Chronic; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Anti-Infective Agents; Antiviral Agents; Antimetabolites; Sofosbuvir; Ribavirin; Ledipasvir
• Other Study ID Numbers: 15-063

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Scientific publication in a peer-reviewed journal