Intensive interferon therapy does not increase virological response rates in African Americans with chronic hepatitis C.
To determine if an intensive regimen of daily, high-dose interferon would improve the initial response rates to therapy for hepatitis C genotype 1 among African American and Caucasian patients, we conducted a retrospective analysis of a treatment trial conducted between October 1995 and June 1997. Patients were randomized to 24 weeks of therapy with interferon--alpha-2b at either 5 MU daily or 3 MU three times a week. On the standard interferon regimen (3 MU three times a week) African Americans and Caucasians had similar initial response rates. However, unlike Caucasians, African Americans did not have an increased initial virological response when treated with an intensive, daily dose regimen. Levels of HCV RNA decreased more slowly during the first 12 weeks of therapy among African Americans. Nelson-Aalen cumulative hazard estimates for the different race and dose combinations revealed that Caucasians who received daily interferon were most likely to have an initial response (logrank, P < 0.001).
Theodore
Dickens
D
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
Shiffman
Mitchell L
ML
Sterling
Richard K
RK
Bruno
Christine J
CJ
Weinstein
Jeffrey
J
Crippin
Jeffrey S
JS
Garcia
Gabriel
G
Wright
Teresa L
TL
Conjeevaram
Hari
H
Reddy
Rajender K
RK
Nolte
Frederick S
FS
Fried
Michael W
MW
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044383:Black People; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D044465:White People
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins