title: [Interferon, ribavirin and amantadine in prior nonresponders to interferon and ribavirin therapy with chronic hepatitis C (genotype 1)].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite advances in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), the disease persists after treatment with interferon and ribavirin in a large percentage of patients and other therapeutic options are lacking. We investigated the efficacy of retreatment with antiviral therapy including amantadine.
  
  
  METHODS
  prospective and open pilot study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine patients with chronic HCV, genotype 1, who were nonresponders to interferon and ribavirin were included. The patients were given repeat treatment with interferon-alpha 2A (9 MU/week), ribavirin (1,000-1,200 mg/day) and amantadine (200 mg/day) for 48 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HCV-RNA was undetectable in 5 patients in week 48 (12.8%) and in only 2 patients after 24 weeks of follow-up (5.1% of sustained responses). In patients with basal viremia of < 8 105 U/ml the probability of response at the end of treatment and of sustained response was 26.3 and 10.5%, respectively; in patients with elevated viremias response was 0%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 without response to interferon and ribavirin, triple antiviral therapy with interferon, ribavirin and amantadine is not useful.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Aparato Digestivo. Hospital General La Paz. Madrid. Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olveira
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Erdozain
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Calleja
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Escartín
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000547:Amantadine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019233:Retreatment; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin; D000547:Amantadine