Methods | Randomised clinical trial | |
Participants | 10 adult participants Sex: 8 men, 2 women Mean age: 34.5 years Inclusion criteria: women or men aged 18 years or older with chronic genotype 2 or 3 HCV infection. The line probe assay was used to determine the genotype of the viral infection. A liver biopsy specimen showing changes consistent with chronic HCV infection had to have been performed within the previous 12 months. At screening, the HCV load had to be 50,000 copies/mL serum. Exclusion criteria: women were excluded if they were breast‐feeding or at risk of pregnancy; men had to use an adequate form of contraception if their partner was of childbearing potential. They were not enrolled if there were other or additional reasons for chronic liver disease, including the presence of other hepatitis‐causing viruses and/or a history of alcohol abuse within the previous 12 months and/or evidence of Child’s B or C liver disease at screening. No other antiviral or antimicrobial or investigational therapies were allowed during the study (screening, pretreatment, and treatment phases). Participants were excluded if, at screening, their baseline ALT/AST plasma levels exceeded the ULN by more than 5‐fold (5 times the ULN) or their total bilirubin or alkaline phosphatase levels were 1.5 times the ULN. Other exclusion criteria included co‐infection with HIV, a platelet count 100,000/mm3, a white blood cell count 2000 cells/mm3, any clinically significant laboratory abnormalities, and a positive test result for illicit or nonprescription drugs. |
|
Interventions |
Experimental group: oral 500 mg of BILN‐2061 for 2 days. Control group: placebo. |
|
Outcomes | Virological efficacy, pharmacokinetics, safety. | |
Notes | We emailed Reiser and colleagues on 27 April 2016 for additional information but reply not received yet. | |
Risk of bias | ||
Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Not described |
Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Not described |
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | The trial was described as being double‐blinded but it was unclear how the blinding was performed |
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | The trial was described as being double‐blinded but it was unclear how the blinding was performed |
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Low risk | 0 participants dropped out |
Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Unclear risk | No protocol could be obtained for all 3 stages, and the ClinicalTrials.gov information was added after completion |
Vested‐interest bias | High risk | The trial was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim |
Other bias | Low risk | The trial appeared to be free of other components that could put it at risk of bias |