title: High effectiveness of peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin therapy in Korean patients with chronic hepatitis C in clinical practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Identifying the impact of a patient's ethnicity on treatment responses in clinical practice may assist in providing individualized treatment regimens for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The effectiveness of standard peginterferon plus ribavirin therapy and the need for triple combination therapy with protease inhibitors in Koreans remain matters of debate. These issues were investigated in the present study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical data of 272 treatment-naïve Korean CHC patients who were treated in a community-based clinical trial (Clinical Trial group; n=51) and in clinical practice (Cohort group; n=221), were analyzed and compared. All were treated with standard protocols of peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, the sustained virological response (SVR) rates in the Clinical Trial and Cohort groups were 81% (21/26) and 55% (58/106), respectively, by intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (P=0.02), and 100% (13/13) and 80% (32/40), respectively, in treatment-adherent patients (P=0.18). For patients with HCV genotype 2, the SVR rates in these two groups were 96% (24/25) and 88% (101/115), respectively, by ITT analysis (P=0.31). Adherence and treatment duration were independent predictors of SVR for genotypes 1 and 2, respectively (P<0.01 for each). Korean patients with CHC achieved high SVR rates with peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin in both the clinical trial and clinical practice settings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measures to raise adherence to standard therapy in clinical practice may improve the SVR rates in these patients as effectively as adding protease inhibitors, thus obviating the need for the latter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Nae-Yun
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.forename: Young-Suk
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Han Chu
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yung Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kang Mo
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kwan Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.forename: Kwang-Hyub
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Kwan Sik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung Woon
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Paik
authors.forename: Seung Kew
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Dong Jin
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Suh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044466:Asian People; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a
keywords: Hepatitis C; Medication adherence; Peginterferon alfa-2a; Ribavirin