title: Efficacy of pegylated interferon alfa-2a or alfa-2b in combination with ribavirin in the treatment of chronic hepatitis caused by hepatitis C virus genotype 1b.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) with pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin leads to sustained virological response (SVR) in approximately 50% of the patients. SVR depends on hepatitis C virus (HCV) and host factors, including IL28B genotypes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of the difficult-to-treat HCV genotype 1b in patients from the south of Poland.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 260 adult patients with CHC and HCV genotype 1b were treated with Peg-IFN alfa-2a or Peg-IFN alfa-2b with ribavirin for 48 weeks. Efficacy was assessed at 12 weeks (early virological response - EVR), 48 weeks (end-of-treatment response - ETR), and at 6 months (SVR). HCV-RNA, alanine transaminase (ALT), and other biochemical parameters were measured in serum at baseline and at 12, 48, and 72 weeks of therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HCV-RNA levels were 3.72 ±1.17 × 106 IU/ml at baseline and decreased significantly at 12 weeks (0.02 ±0.17 × 106 IU/ml); there were no differences between the group treated with Peg-INF alfa-2a and the group treated with Peg-INF alfa-2b. ALT was 94.1 ±7.6 IU/l at baseline and decreased significantly at 12 weeks (42.5 ±3.1 IU/l). The overall EVR, ETR, and SVR were achieved by 63.9%, 77.7%, and 48.1% of the patients, respectively. Tolerance of therapy was similar in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Efficacy of Peg-IFN alfa-2a with ribavirin is not significantly different from that of Peg-IFN alfa-2b with ribavirin, and SVR was achieved in 48.3% and 44.3% of the patients, respectively. Our study confirms that the efficacy of treatment of patients with HCV genotype 1b from the southern region of Poland is similar to that observed in the overall Polish population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland. tmach@su.krakow.pl
authors.forename: Tomasz H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Mach
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cieśla
authors.forename: Wioleta
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Warunek
authors.forename: Urszula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Janas-Skulina
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cibor
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Owczarek
authors.forename: Irena
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ciećko-Michalska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: 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