Comparison of Two Interferon Alfa Treatment Regimens Characterized by an Early Virological Response in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C

• Published in: The American journal of gastroenterology Vol. 93; no. 2; pp. 192 - 196
• Main Authors: Kagawa, Tatehiro, Hosoi, Katsumi, Takashimizu, Shinji, Kawazoe, Kazuya, Mochizuki, Kaori, Wasada, Mitsuru, Nagata, Naruhiko, Uchiyama, Junzo, Nakano, Atsushi, Nishizaki, Yasuhiro, Watanabe, Norihito, Matsuzaki, Shohei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford . 01-02-1998; Blackwell Publishing
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antiviral Agents - administration & dosage; Antiviral Agents - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Hepacivirus - isolation & purification; Hepatitis C virus; Hepatitis C, Chronic - therapy; Hepatitis C, Chronic - virology; Humans; Immunomodulators; Interferon-alpha - administration & dosage; Interferon-alpha - adverse effects; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Viral - analysis; Human; Immune response; Alpha interferon; Treatment efficiency; Hepatic disease; Result; Infection; Virus; Chronic; Viral disease; Immunotherapy; Predictive value; Digestive diseases; Uncertainty relation; Biological effect; Flaviviridae; Therapeutic protocol; Hepatitis C virus; Hepacivirus; Comparative study; Viral hepatitis C
• ISSN: 0002-9270; 1572-0241
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.1998.00192.x

We investigated the efficacy of an interferon regimen characterized by an early virological response in patients with chronic hepatitis C and evaluated whether the patient's virological status during therapy would be useful for predicting a complete response.
We treated 62 patients with chronic hepatitis C with 6 million units (MU) of human lymphoblastoid interferon daily for 4 wk. The serum HCV RNA was assayed at week 2 by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. HCV RNA-negative patients (group A) received 6 MU of interferon three times weekly for an additional 22 wk (total dose, 564 MU). HCV RNA-positive patients were randomly assigned to group B-1, which received the same regimen as group A, or to group B-2, which received 6 MU of interferon daily for 4 wk followed by 6 MU three times weekly for 18 wk (total dose, 660 MU).
Complete responses were achieved by 19 (63.3%) of 30 group A patients, compared with one (6.3%) of 16 group B-1 patients and none of 16 group B-2 patients. The virological response at week 2 and the pretreatment serum HCV RNA level were independent significant predictors of a complete response.
Patients who were still HCV RNA-positive at week 2 were unlikely to achieve a complete response after interferon therapy. An increase in the total dose of interferon failed to yield further benefit in these patients.