title: Thymalfasin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection.
abstract: Approximately 50% of treatment-naive hepatitis C patients fail to achieve a sustained virologic response with standard peginterferon and ribavirin therapy. Patients who are infected with genotype 1 have high viral loads and are nonresponders to previous therapy, and are even more difficult to treat, underscoring the need for new therapeutic options. Thymalfasin (thymosin-alpha1), in combination with peginterferon-alpha2a, has demonstrated efficacy among difficult-to-treat patients with hepatitis C. The addition of ribavirin to thymalfasin and peginterferon-alpha2a has also exhibited promising results among patients who have genotype 1 hepatitis C, high viral loads and are nonresponders to previous therapy.
authors.affiliation: Transplant Institute, Georgetown University Medical Center, Fairfax, VA 22031, USA. hepgi@aol.com
authors.forename: Vinod K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Rustgi
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000235:genetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D000077596:Thymalfasin; D013947:Thymosin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D013947:Thymosin; D000077596:Thymalfasin