Potent induction therapy with interferon and ribavirin combination therapy does not achieve a higher sustained virological response rate in chronic hepatitis C with genotype 1b and high hepatitis C virus RNA level.
OBJECTIVE
To compare twice-daily interferon (IFN)-beta administration and once-daily IFN-alpha-2b administration as induction therapy in ribavirin combination therapy in chronic hepatitis C with a high viral load of genotype-1b hepatitis C virus (HCV).


METHODS
Sixty-one chronic hepatitis patients with a high viral load of genotype-1b HCV were randomly divided into three groups: group A was given IFN-beta 6 MU induction therapy twice daily for 2 weeks; group B was given IFN-alpha-2b 6 MU induction therapy once daily for 2 weeks; and group C was given no induction therapy. All three groups were then given IFN-alpha-2b 6 MU 3 days/week for the rest of the 24-week study period. Ribavirin was given for the entire 24-week study period.


RESULTS
Although the cumulative HCV-RNA negative rates tended to be higher in group A than in group B, the differencewas not significant. The HCV-RNA negative rate at week 2 was significantly higher in groups A and B than in group C (P < 0.05). The sustained virological response (SVR) rate was 16% overall, 21% for groups A and B, and 5% for group C; the SVR rate of groups A plus B tended to be higher than that of group C (P = 0.093).


CONCLUSIONS
There was no difference between the effects of the two induction therapies; potent induction therapy does achieve higher early viral clearance but not a higher SVR rate.
Enomoto
Shotaro
S
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.
Tamai
Hideyuki
H
Oka
Masashi
M
Shingaki
Naoki
N
Shiraki
Tatsuya
T
Takeuchi
Machiko
M
Deguchi
Hisanobu
H
Magari
Hirohito
H
Inoue
Izumi
I
Iguchi
Mikitaka
M
Yanaoka
Kimihiko
K
Arii
Kenji
K
Fujishiro
Mitsuhiro
M
Yahagi
Naohisa
N
Yotsuyanagi
Hiroshi
H
Ichinose
Masao
M