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The efficacy of short-term interferon-beta therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients with low virus load.

AbstractOBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to elucidate the efficacy of short-term interferon (IFN) therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients with low virus load.
METHODS:
The present study was a retrospective cohort study. Inclusion criteria were biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis, the serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA level of less than 100 KIU/ml, IFN period of 8 weeks or less. One hundred and eleven consecutive patients satisfied above criteria were treated with IFN-beta (dose: 6 MU, daily for 4, 6, or 8 weeks).
RESULTS:
Background of clinical profiles were as follows: median (range) age=56 (20-73) years, male/female=64/47, genotype 1b/2a/2b=40/68/3, and median (range) HCV-RNA=34 (4.5-81) KIU/ml. Out of 111, 64 patients (57.7%) had sustained viral response (SVR). Based on the difference of HCV genotype, the SVR rate was 47.5% (19/40) in genotype 1 and 63.3% (45/71) in genotype 2. In genotype 1, the SVR rate in patients treated with the 8-week-regimen was significantly higher than that in patients treated with the 4- or 6-week regimen. In contrast, in genotype 2, the SVR in patients treated with the 8-week regimen was not significantly different from that in patients treated with the 6-week regimen. None of the patients had severe IFN-related side effects.
CONCLUSIONS:
The 6 or 8-week regiment of IFN-beta therapy is one selection of therapy for chronic hepatitis C patients who have tended to have a SVR and who show IFN-related adverse events.
AuthorsYusuke Kawamura, Yasuji Arase, Kenji Ikeda, Fumitaka Suzuki, Yoshiyuki Suzuki, Masahiro Kobayashi, Norio Akuta, Tetsuya Hosaka, Hitomi Sezaki, Hiromi Yatsuji, Mariko Kobayashi, Hiromitsu Kumada
JournalInternal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) (Intern Med) Vol. 47 Issue 5 Pg. 355-60 ( 2008) ISSN: 1349-7235 [Electronic] Japan
PMID18310963 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References
  • Antiviral Agents
  • Interferon Type I
  • Recombinant Proteins
Topics
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antiviral Agents (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
  • Cohort Studies
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Hepacivirus (drug effects, genetics)
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic (drug therapy, genetics, virology)
  • Humans
  • Interferon Type I (administration & dosage, adverse effects)
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Viral Load

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