Does
Use
of
Complementary
Treatments
with
Peginterferon
plus
Ribavirin
Combination
Therapy
Provide
a Benefit
to
Patients
with
Chronic
Hepatitis
C?
Pegylated
interferon
and
ribavirin
combination
therapy,
the
current
standard-of-care
for
treatment
for
chronic
hepatitis
C,
produces
a cure
in
about
half
of
all
patients.
However,
the
success
of
this
combination
comes
at
the
cost
of
numerous
sometimes
severe
drug-related
adverse
events
and
side
effects,
especially
hematologic
and
psychiatric.
This
review
appears
in
the
February
20,
2006
issue
of
Gastroenterology
and
Clinical
Biology.
The
article
focuses
on
complementary
treatments,
primarily
erythropoietin,
G-CSF,
vitamin
E,
glutathion,
ursodeoxycholic
acid,
and
antidepressants.
According
to
the
authors,
these
complementary
therapies
are
“likely
to
bring
a benefit
in
maintaining
adequate
interferon
and
ribavirin
dosages
and
in
improving
quality
of
life.”
This
review
was
accomplished
by
using
the
Medline(R)
database
and
data
from
laboratories
that
commercialized
these
molecules.
It
is
the
view
of
the
authors
that
erythropoietin,
G-CSF
and
antidepressants
are
the
best
tools
for
optimizing
peginterferon/ribavirin
combination
therapy
in
relation
to
dosing
and
the
duration
of
therapy
and
also
for
improving
the
quality
of
life
in
chronic
hepatitis
C patients. Service
d'Hepatologie
et
de
Soins
Intensifs
Digestifs,
Service
d'Hepatologie,
Hopital
Universitaire
Jean
Minjoz,
Besancon.
tthevenot@chu-besancon.fr 04/07/06 Reference
T
Thevenot,
V Di
Martino,
F Lunel-Fabiani,
and
others.
Complementary
Treatments
of
chronic
viral
hepatitis
C [Article
in
French].
Gastroenterology
and
Clinical
Biology
30(2):197-214.
February
20,
2006.
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