Analysis of long-term persistence of resistance mutations within the hepatitis C virus NS3 protease after treatment with telaprevir or boceprevir

a b s t r a c t Background: Telaprevir and boceprevir are highly selective hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protea- seinhibitors in phase 3 development. Viral breakthrough during mono- and triple-therapies with PEG-interferon and ribavirin and relapse is associated with resistance. Objectives: Potential persistence of resistance mutations during long-term follow-up should be analyzed. Study design: Clonal sequence analysis of the NS3-protease gene was performed at long-term follow-up in HCV genotyp-1 infected patients who received telaprevir or boceprevir within phase-1b studies for comparison with resistant variants present directly after the end-of-treatment. Results: After a median follow-up of 4.2 years in 28 of 82 patients HCV-RNA was still detectable. Resistance variants were detected in two of 14 telaprevir- and in four of 14 boceprevir-treated patients. For telapre- vir patients two low-level (V36M, V36A) and one high-level (A156T) mutation associated with resistance were detected at low frequencies (4-9% of the clones). In five boceprevir-treated patients four low level mutations (V36A, T54A/S, V55A) were observed at low frequencies (1-10%) while in one patient addition- ally a combined variant (T54S + R155K) was detected at 94%. Presence of resistant variants at long-term follow-up was not predictable by variants detected at the end-of-treatment. In one patient a V55A variant which was dominant already at baseline was still detectable at long-term follow-up. Conclusions: In the majority of patients after short-term treatment with telaprevir or boceprevir wild-type NS3-protease isolates are detectable by clonal sequencing at long-term follow-up. Detectable resistance mutations in single patients are not predictable by initial frequencies of variants.