title: Efficacy of the regimen using twice-daily β-interferon followed by the standard of care for chronic hepatitis C genotype 1b with high viral load.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In patients with refractory genotype 1b chronic hepatitis C with high viral loads, we retrospectively compared the efficacy of standard of care treatment (SOC: combined PEG-IFN-α-2b/ribavirin for 48 weeks) and a regimen in which 2 weeks of SOC induction was replaced by twice-daily β-interferon alone (IFN-β induction therapy).
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen patients received the IFN-β induction therapy plus SOC (IFN-β induction group) and 13 patients received SOC alone (SOC group).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the IFN-β induction group and SOC group, early virological response (EVR) rates were 88.2% and 53.8%, respectively. The end of treatment rates were 100.0% and 92.3%, and sustained virological response (SVR) rates were 70.6% and 53.8%, respectively. By induction with IFN-β, even in refractory cases, the high virus negative conversion rate in the early treatment phase and actions of pegylated IFN-α-2b and ribavirin in the maintenance treatment phase led to an additive effect. In the analysis of contributing factors, only the achievement of EVR was associated with a significant difference in SVR (P = 0.0011). The univariate logistic regression analysis showed that only IFN-β treatment was associated with a significant difference in EVR (P = 0.0492, odds ratio = 6.248, 95% confidence interval = 1.026-40.252), whereas no significant factors were found in the multivariate analysis due to small samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IFN-β induction therapy with higher EVR might be beneficial for protease inhibitor-refractory chronic hepatitis C patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Saiseikai Niigata Daini Hospital, Niigata, Japan.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Aiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagashima
authors.forename: Kanae
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: Tadayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Togashi
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seki
authors.forename: Terasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honma
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Tomoteru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kamimura