title: Thymosin Alpha-1 in Combination with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Who have Failed to Prior Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin Treatment.
abstract: Combination therapy with inteferon-alpha and ribavirin is an approved therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C. However, even with the use of pegylated interferon, response rates are still poor in many difficult-to-treat groups, especially with genotype 1 and high viral loads. Retreatment of these patients remains challenging. Newer combinations are being investigated to optimize chances of attaining a sustained response in these groups. Thymosin alpha 1 is a polypeptide with immunomodulatory properties that has been suggested to increase response rates in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Herein, we describe two cases of retreatment patients with chronic hepatitis C who have failed prior pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy. They received triple combination therapies of thymosin alpha 1, pegylated interferon and ribavirin and achieved sustained virological responses. These cases support that thymosin-alpha 1 may increase the efficacy of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in the treatment of non-responders to previous combination therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Yang Hyun
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.forename: Sung Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyun Seung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Hyun Ah
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Ja Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Hoon
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ha Youn
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Han