Hepatitis C antiviral regimen appears safe and effective during pregnancy
A Washington University in St. Louis team studied glecaprevir-pibrentasvir in 14 pregnant patients treated between 14 and 32 weeks of gestation. Ten patients completed the regimen, and all ten had a virologic response by delivery or sooner. The researchers found no maternal or neonatal safety issues, though they note the findings come from a small real-world sample and support shared decision-making.
The WashU Medicine team, led by Laura Marks and Madeline McCrary, prescribed glecaprevir-pibrentasvir to 14 pregnant patients, starting between 14 and 32 weeks of gestation. Ten finished the oral regimen, and each showed virologic response by delivery or sooner. No maternal or neonatal safety problems were reported.
Before this report, no trial or real-world data had been published on this regimen during pregnancy. The findings appeared Aug. 11 in Clinical Infectious Diseases and form part of a wider WashU effort linking medication research, implementation science, and health economics to improve hepatitis C care in St. Louis, Missouri, and southern Illinois.
This small real-world report may encourage clinicians and pregnant patients with hepatitis C to consider treatment before delivery, potentially lowering maternal infection and infant transmission. It could also support shared decision-making where options were limited. Because only 14 patients were prescribed the regimen and 10 completed it, broader safety and effectiveness remain uncertain. Health systems and families in similar settings may watch for larger studies before changing routine care.