Treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection with recombinant consensus interferon.
To assess the safety and efficacy of consensus interferon (IFN-Con-1), 55 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection were treated with either 3, 6, 9, 12, or 15 microg IFN-Con-1 s.c. three times a week for 24 weeks, followed by 24 weeks of observation. There was a dose-response relationship with respect to the number of patients with normalized ALT concentrations or undetectable HCV RNA. At the end of the 24-week treatment period, the serum ALT had normalized in 18% of patients given the 3 microg dose and 42% of patients given the 12 microg or 15 microg doses of IFN-Con-1. At the end of the posttreatment observation period, the serum ALT was still normal in 10% of patients given the 3 microg, 6 microg, or 9 microg doses and in 50% of patients given the 15 microg dose. Also, at the end of the 24-week treatment period, 27% of patients given the 3 microg dose and 75% given the 15 microg dose had undetectable serum HCV RNA. At the end of the posttreatment observation period, the proportion of patients with undetectable HCV RNA ranged from 9% of those given the 3 microg dose to 50% of those given the 15 microg dose. Our study indicates that treatment with IFN-Con-1 appears to be safe and effective. In addition, use of 15 microg of IFN-Con-1 resulted in significantly more patients with sustained ALT normalization and absence of HCV RNA 6 months after cessation of therapy compared with treatment with lower doses of IFN-Con-1. Additional trials are underway to confirm these findings.
Tong
M J
MJ
The Liver Center, Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA 91105, USA.
Blatt
L M
LM
Resser
K J
KJ
Klein
M C
MC
Cruickshank
S E
SE
Figueroa
T
T
Sayadzadeh
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use
D007370:Interferon Type I; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase