Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of daclatasvir and asunaprevir combination in the treatment of patients with naïve hepatitis C viral genotype 1b-infected chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets. Methods 65naïve patients with HCV genotype 1b-infected CHC were enrolled in our hospital between January 2022 and July 2024, and were randomly assigned to receive sofosbuviranddaclatasvir in 32 patients in control, or to receive asunaprevir and daclatasvir combination in 33 patients in the observation group for 12 weeks. Serum HCV RNA loads were routinely detected, and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were determined by FCM. Rapid virological response (RVR), end of treatment virological response (ETVR) and sustained virologicalresponse (SVR) were evaluated. Results RVR, ETVR and SVRin the observation group were 84.9%, 100.0%and 100.0%, not significantly different as compared to 84.4%, 100.0% and 96.9% in the control (P>0.05); by end of the antiviral regimen, serum AST and ALT levels in the observation group were (32.5±5.3)U/L and (39.4±5.9)U/L, both not significantly different as compared to[(33.6±6.2)U/Land (40.5±6.3)U/L, respectively] in the control (P>0.05); percentages of peripheral bloodCD4⁺ and CD8⁺cells as well as CD4⁺/CD8⁺ cell ratio were (36.4±4.8)% and (24.6±2.4)%, and (1.1±0.4), all not significantly different compared to [(35.2±4.2)%,(24.5±2.5)% and (1.1±0.3), respectively] in the control group (P>0.05). Conclusion Daclatasvir and asunaprevir combination in the treatment of naïve patients with HCV genotype 1b-infected CHC is also efficacious, which needs further clinical long-term follow-up.

Key words: Hepatitis C, Daclatasvir, Asunaprevir, Hepatitis C virus genotype 1b, Naïve, Therapy