Efficacy of Stronger Neo-Minophagen C compared between two doses administered three times a week on patients with chronic viral hepatitis.
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.
Miyake
Kazuhiko
K
Department of Internal Meidcine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. kmiyake@med.teikyo-u.ac.jp
Tango
Toshiro
T
Ota
Yasuhiko
Y
Mitamura
Keiji
K
Yoshiba
Makoto
M
Kako
Makoto
M
Hayashi
Shigeki
S
Ikeda
Yusei
Y
Hayashida
Norimasa
N
Iwabuchi
Shogo
S
Sato
Yuzuru
Y
Tomi
Toshiaki
T
Funaki
Naoya
N
Hashimoto
Naoaki
N
Umeda
Tomoyuki
T
Miyazaki
Jun
J
Tanaka
Katsuaki
K
Endo
Yasuo
Y
Suzuki
Hiroshi
H
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
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid; D000410:Alanine Transaminase