Crushing and Splitting Direct-Acting Antivirals for Hepatitis C Virus Treatment: A Case Series and Literature Review

Kristen Whelchel; Autumn D Zuckerman; David E Koren; Caroline Derrick; Jeannette Bouchard; Cody A Chastain

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofab525

Crushing and Splitting Direct-Acting Antivirals for Hepatitis C Virus Treatment: A Case Series and Literature Review

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021 Nov 18;8(11):ofab525. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab525. eCollection 2021 Nov.

Authors

Kristen Whelchel¹, Autumn D Zuckerman¹, David E Koren², Caroline Derrick³, Jeannette Bouchard⁴, Cody A Chastain⁵

Affiliations

¹ Specialty Pharmacy Services, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
² Department of Pharmacy Services, Temple University Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
³ Department of Infectious Disease, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
⁵ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Abstract

Limited data exist regarding the use of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients who are unable to swallow tablets. This case series describes HCV treatment in patients requiring tablet manipulation, providing evidence for safety and effectiveness of HCV DAA tablet manipulation.

Keywords: chronic; crushing; deglutition; direct-acting antiviral; hepatitis C; splitting; tablet.