[Efficacy of initial treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a versus peginterferon alpha-2b in combination with ribavirin in naive chronic hepatitis C patients living in Daejeon and Chungcheong Province in Korea: a comparative study].
OBJECTIVE
Peginterferon alpha-2a or -2b is the standard treatment regimen in chronic hepatitis C. However, there have been few comparative studies of the efficacies of these two types of peginterferon. We evaluated their efficacies in combination with ribavirin as a initial treatment for chronic hepatitis C.


METHODS
Ninety-seven patients were treated with peginterferon alpha-2a (180 microg/week, n=48) or peginterferon alpha-2b (1.5 microg/kg/week, n=49) plus ribavirin (800 mg/day for 24 weeks in genotype non-1 or 1,000-1,200 mg/day for 48 weeks in genotype 1). Virologic responses including the early virologic response (EVR), end-of-treatment response (ETR), sustained virologic response (SVR), and adverse effects were analyzed retrospectively.


RESULTS
The virologic response rates did not differ significantly between peginterferon alpha-2a and -2b: 89.6% and 89.7% for EVR, 79.2% and 79.5% for ETR, 72.9% and 73.5% for SVR, respectively. Analysis of the virologic responses according to genotype also revealed no significant differences in SVR between peginterferon alpha-2a and -2b (59.3% vs. 59.7% for genotype 1 and 90.5% vs. 83.3% for genotype non-1, respectively), or in adverse effects including flu-like symptom, rash, itching, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia.


CONCLUSIONS
We found no significant differences in therapeutic efficacies and adverse effects between the alpha-2a and -2b types of peginterferon as the initial treatment regimen in naive chronic hepatitis C patients.
Kim
Jeong Il
JI
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Korea.
Kim
Seok Hyun
SH
Lee
Byung Seok
BS
Lee
Heon Young
HY
Lee
Tae Hee
TH
Kang
Young Woo
YW
Lee
Hyang Ie
HIe
Kim
An Na
AN
Nam
Soon Woo
SW
Park
Byeong Chool
BC
Chae
Hee Bok
HB
Kim
Seok Bae
SB
Song
Il Han
IH
Park
Ji Young
JY
Kim
Hong Su
HS
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007723:Korea; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012307:Risk Factors
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a