Use of high-dose interferon in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.
High-dose interferon therapy is defined as any treatment regimen that provides more than 3 million Units (MU) of interferon three times weekly (TIW), or more than 9 MU on a weekly basis. Such treatment could be achieved with either a fixed dose of interferon administered daily (QD) or TIW, an induction regimen in which doses greater than 3 MU QD are administered for several weeks to months followed by a reduction in the dose or dosing frequency, or by escalation in the interferon dose. Each of these high-dose regimens appears to increase end-of-treatment response. Unfortunately, sustained response and virologic "cure" following treatment with high-dose interferon appear no better than what could be achieved with standard-dose interferon therapy. Whether sustained response can be improved by utilizing ribavirin in combination with high-dose interferon remains to be determined.
Shiffman
M L
ML
Medical College of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298, USA.
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects; D012008:Recurrence; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012254:Ribavirin