title: Retreatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
abstract: Despite advances in antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C, approximately half of patients undergoing initial treatment fail to achieve a sustained virologic response (SVR), thus prompting consideration of retreatment with alternative regimens. The decision to re-treat should be based on the severity of liver disease, as well as the presence of clinical and virologic predictors of a successful outcome of additional therapy. Retreatment of patients who were prior nonresponders to interferon monotherapy with interferon plus ribavirin results in SVR rates of 13% to 15%, which can be increased to 25% to 40% if peginterferon plus ribavirin is used. Retreatment of patients who were prior nonresponders to interferon plus ribavirin with peginterferon plus ribavirin unfortunately achieves SVR rates of approximately 10%. The growing number of patients who have been treated and have failed initial therapy highlights the need for the development of more efficacious antiviral agents for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine,Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Joanne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Imperial
authors.forename: Emmet B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Keeffe
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012074:Remission Induction; D019233:Retreatment; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a