Eight-week regimen of antiviral combination therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin for patients with chronic hepatitis C with hepatitis C virus genotype 2 and a rapid virological response.
BACKGROUND
It remains unclear how we can shorten the treatment duration of antiviral combination therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 infection who achieved a rapid virological response (RVR).


OBJECTIVE
We compared the efficacy of antiviral combination therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin for 8 vs. 24 weeks for the treatment of patients with HCV genotype 2 infection and with RVR.


METHODS
Sixty-one patients were enrolled. Serum HCV RNA was not detected at 4 weeks after the start of treatment in 32 patients with an RVR. These 32 patients were randomly assigned to 8-week (n=15) or 24-week (n=17) treatment regimens. Patients in the 8-week group who relapsed underwent a 24-week retreatment.


RESULTS
No significant difference in patient characteristics was observed between the 8- and the 24-week treatment groups. A sustained virological response (SVR) was seen in five of 15 patients (33.3%) in the 8-week treatment group and 14 of 17 (82.4%) in the 24-week treatment group; the rate was significantly higher in the 24-week treatment group (P=0.0140). Nine of 10 relapsed patients in the 8-week treatment group underwent a 24-week retreatment, and seven achieved an SVR.


CONCLUSIONS
An 8-week regimen of combination antiviral therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin yielded an increase in the relapse rate, indicating the limitation of a reduction of treatment below 12 weeks in patients with genotype 2, after RVR.
Toyoda
Hidenori
H
Department of Gastroenterology, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, Ogaki, Japan. tkumada@he.mirai.ne.jp
Kumada
Takashi
T
Kiriyama
Seiki
S
Sone
Yasuhiro
Y
Tanikawa
Makoto
M
Hisanaga
Yasuhiro
Y
Kanamori
Akira
A
Atsumi
Hiroyuki
H
Nakano
Satoshi
S
Arakawa
Takahiro
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014766:Viremia
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a