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24 Weeks Treatment with Peginterferon Alfa-2b (PegIntron)
plus Ribavirin Is Efficacious in Patients with Chronic HCV
Genotype 1 and Low Pretreatment HCV RNA Levels
Previous studies using standard
interferon and ribavirin combination therapy
have suggested that patients infected with HCV-1 and a low
pretreatment HCV-RNA
level can be treated for 24 weeks without compromising
sustained
virologic response rates.
The
aim of the present study was to investigate this schedule
in the era of pegylated
interferon alfa plus ribavirin.
Patients
chronically infected with HCV-1 (n=235) and a screening viremia
</=600,000IU/mL (real-time PCR) were treated with peginterferon
alfa-2b (PegIntron) 1.5mug/kg subcutaneously
once weekly plus
ribavirin 800-1400mg/day based on body weight
for 24 weeks.
Results
End-of-treatment and sustained
virologic response rates were 80 and 50%, respectively.
The
48-week historical control (Manns et al., Lancet 2001;358:958-65)
had similar end-of-treatment (74%) but higher sustained virologic
response rates (71%).
This
difference was due to a high virologic relapse rate after
24 weeks of therapy (37%) compared with the historical control
(4%).
A
subset of patients who had undetectable serum HCV-RNA at treatment
week 4, however, achieved similar sustained virologic response
rate (89%) as in the control group (85%).
In
conclusion, the authors write, “HCV-1 infected patients with
a low baseline HCV-RNA concentration who become HCV-RNA negative
at week 4 may be treated for 24 weeks without compromising
sustained virologic response rates.”
Department of Medicine, Saarland
University Hospital,
Homburg/Saar, Germany.
12/16/05
Reference
S Zeuzem and others. Efficacy of 24 weeks treatment with peginterferon alfa-2b
plus ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C infected
with genotype 1 and low pretreatment viremia. Journal of
Hepatology 44(1):
97-103. January 2006.
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