title: Combined treatment with interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C in patients with a previous non-response or non-sustained response to interferon alone.
abstract: Ten patients with chronic hepatitis C, six of whom had not responded and four of whom had responded in a non-sustained fashion to interferon-alpha treatment alone, were given interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin in combination during 24 weeks. Interferon alpha-2b was given subcutaneously, at a dose of 3 MU thrice weekly, together with ribavirin orally, at a dose of 1,000-1,200 mg/day. All four patients with a prior non-sustained response to interferon alone had normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels at the end of treatment as well as during follow-up (> or = 24 weeks post treatment). Furthermore, all four lost serum HCV-RNA at the end of treatment and three continued to be negative during follow-up. Among patients with a prior non-response to interferon alone three of six had normal ALT levels at the end of treatment and one at follow-up. Two of six became HCV-RNA negative at cessation of treatment, one of whom was negative also at follow-up. All former non-sustained responders and one of six non-responder patients thus showed a sustained biochemical response with eradication of HCV-RNA from serum in all cases but one. It is concluded that combination therapy with interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin offers a chance of sustained biochemical response with eradication of the viremia in patients who have not shown a persistent response to interferon-alpha alone.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schvarcz
authors.forename: Z B
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sönnerborg
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Weiland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin; D000410:Alanine Transaminase