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Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Immunofluorescence to Monitor the Cellular Uptake of Human Lactoferrin and its Associated Antiviral Activity Against the Hepatitis C Virus
Published on: October 1, 2015
Hemoglobin Decrease with Iron Deficiency Induced by Daclatasvir plus Asunaprevir Combination Therapy for Chronic
Nobuyuki Matsumoto1, Hiroki Ikeda1, Ryuta Shigefuku1
1Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, 2-16-1 Sugao, Miyamae-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa, 216-8511, Japan.
Background:
Decreased hemoglobin (Hb) level has been supposed to be a relatively rare side effect of a combination therapy against hepatitis C virus that consists of the NS5A inhibitor daclatasvir (DCV) and the NS3/4A protease inhibitor asunaprevir (ASV).
Methods:
The study was conducted in 75 patients with genotype 1b chronic hepatitis C virus infection who had started combination therapy with DCV and ASV at St. Marianna University School of Medicine Hospital between September 2014 and December 2014.
Results:
Among the patients examined, decreased Hb level by ≥1.5 g/dL from the values at treatment initiation was observed in 11 individuals. This was accompanied by decreased mean corpuscular volume, and iron and ferritin levels.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that the mechanism of the phenomenon is caused by iron deficiency. The underlying mechanism and clinical impacts will need to be further examined.
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