title: Consensus interferon used to treat prior partial-responders to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The response to pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) plus ribavirin therapy remains less than ideal with 40-50% of treated subjects failing to clear the virus. Moreover, retreatment is only minimally effective. Consensus interferon (c-IFN) has been shown to be efficacious in HCV genotype 1 patients who have failed therapy with peg-IFN.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluated the response to re-treatment of peg-IFN plus ribavirin partial-responders with c-IFN plus ribavirin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two subjects who had previously failed to clear virus after treatment with peg-IFN plus ribavirin were treated with c-IFN (15 μg/day) plus ribavirin (800-1,200 mg/day) until 12 months of therapy or a total of six consecutive months of PCR negativity was achieved.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study population consisted predominantly of males (71%), Caucasians (76%), with African Americans comprising the remaining 24%, subjects with HCV genotype 1 infection (81%) and 21% had cirrhosis by liver biopsy. The overall SVR rate was 29%. The only pretreatment variable that distinguished responders from partial-responders was the serum triglyceride level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of c-IFN plus ribavirin in the retreatment of prior peg-IFN plus ribavirin partial responders is essentially twice that achieved in prior re-treatment regimens consisting of a second course of peg-IFN plus ribavirin. These results will need to be evaluated against the use of triple therapy consisting of a peg-IFN plus ribavirin and a protease inhibitor. More studies utilizing c-IFN plus ribavirin with either a protease inhibitor or polymerase inhibitor need to be performed as well.
authors: Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Christopher M
authors: CM
authors: Moore
authors: Magdalena
authors: M
authors: George
authors: David H
authors: DH
authors: Van Thiel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001706:Biopsy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019233:Retreatment; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C050739:interferon alfacon-1; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a