2018 Volume 67 Issue 4 Pages 605-610
Characteristic crystals were identified in urine samples from chronic hepatitis C patients during triple-drug therapy with telaprevir, peginterferon and ribavirin. These crystals are insoluble in acid or alkaline solutions, as well as organic solvents, and they do not have any specific polarization color. In four of the five patients undergoing the triple-drug therapy, crystals appeared in urines immediately after the initiation of therapy, and their kidney function simultaneously declined. To confirm that these crystals are derived from telaprevir, we compared the infrared absorption spectra of urine and powdered telaprevir. Both wave patterns had similar peaks at approximately 1,060 nm. These results suggest that these crystals are likely from telaprevir. The detection of these crystals in urinary sediments may be useful for the prevention of renal damage caused by telaprevir administration.
