title: Efficacy of Stronger Neo-Minophagen C compared between two doses administered three times a week on patients with chronic viral hepatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A daily injection of glycyrrhizin (Stronger Neo-Minophagen C (SNMC) containing 40 mg glycyrrhizin in a 20 mL ampoule) lowers alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The therapeutic effects of intermittent administration of SNMC three times a week for 12 weeks were evaluated and compared between two doses (40 and 100 mL) in a randomized clinical trial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the therapeutic response was better in the 53 patients allocated 100 mL than the 59 who were allocated to have 40 mL SNMC (P = 0.0243). At the completion of SNMC treatment, ALT levels decreased more extensively in the patients on 100 mL than those on 40 mL SNMC (-29 vs-50% in comparison with the baseline value, P = 0.0002). Minor side-effects occurred in both the patients on 100 mL (20%) and those on 40 mL (12%), but they did not require any therapies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intermittent SNMC would be efficient in suppressing ALT levels in patients with chronic viral hepatitis in a dose-dependent manner. Taken along with infrequent and very mild side-effects, long-term intermittent SNMC would benefit patients with chronic hepatitis by maintaining their quality of life with easier compliance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Meidcine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. kmiyake@med.teikyo-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tango
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mitamura
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshiba
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kako
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Yusei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Norimasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwabuchi
authors.forename: Yuzuru
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomi
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Funaki
authors.forename: Naoaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Katsuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid; D000410:Alanine Transaminase