A real-world observational study of drug utilization and clinical outcomes of direct-acting antivirals and interferon therapy for hepatitis C treatment in Taiwan.

This study explored three important issues related to DAAs: drug utilization, medical expenses and clinical outcomes following the insurance coverage by using the National Health Insurance Database. Cases were divided into three groups based on the treatment type: traditional treatment (interferon, INF), new drug treatment (DAA) and INF-experienced (INF followed by DAA). After the adjustment of various personal and hospital factors, the DAA group and INF-experienced group had significantly lower rehospitalization rates, and the DAA group had a significantly lower risk of liver function disorders, compared to the interferon group. There was a lower chance of rehospitalization and lower liver function disorder rates with longer treatment.