title: 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.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Shotaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamai
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shingaki
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiraki
authors.forename: Machiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Hisanobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deguchi
authors.forename: Hirohito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Magari
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Mikitaka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iguchi
authors.forename: Kimihiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanaoka
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arii
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujishiro
authors.forename: Naohisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yahagi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yotsuyanagi
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ichinose