Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate efficacy and safety of ritonavir (RTV)-boosted danoprevir (DNVr) with combination of sofosbuvir (SOF) and ribavirin (RBV) regimen in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and viral genotype 3 infection. Methods 96 patients with HCV genotype 3 infected CHC were admitted to our hospital between January 2021 and December 2023, and were randomly assigned to receive SOF with combination of daclatasvir (DCV) and RBV in 48 cases in control group, and to receive DNVr with combination of SOF and RBV treatment in another 48 patients in the observation for 12 weeks. All patients were followed-up for 12 weeks after discontinuation of antiviral therapy. Serum HCV RNA loads was assayed by fluorescence quantitative PCR, and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were detected by flow cytometry. Results Rapid virological response, early virological response, end of treatment virological response and sustained virological response rates in the observation group were 89.6%, 95.8%, 100.0% and 91.7%, all significantly higher than 66.7%, 75.0%, 81.3% and 75.0% (P＜0.05) in the control; by end of 12-week treatment, serum ALT and AST normalization rates in the observation were 95.8% and 100.0%, both not much different as compared to 91.7% and 93.8% in the control (P＞0.05); percentages of peripheral blood CD4⁺ cells and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ cell ratios in the two groups elevated, while percentages of CD8⁺ cells decreased compared to those at presentation(P＜0.05), and there were no significant differences between the two groups (P＞0.05); during treatment, incidences of adverse effects, such as diarrhea, nausea, fever, lipsotrichia and rash in the two groups were not much different(27.1% vs. 31.3%, P＞0.05). Conclusion The DNVr with combination of SOF and RBV regimen in treatment of patients with CHC and HCV genotype 3 infection is short-termly efficacious and safe, which might be related to improve of immune functions besides suppression of viral replication.

Key words: Hepatitis C, Hepatitis C viral genotype 3, Ritonavir, Danoprevir, Sofosbuvir, Ribavirin, Therapy