title: Effectiveness and safety of reduced-dose telaprevir-based triple therapy in chronic hepatitis C patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the early virological effectiveness, sustained virological response and safety of telaprevir 1500 mg/day with telaprevir 2250 mg/day, when combined in triple therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin in Japanese patients with high viral loads of genotype 1 hepatitis C virus.
  
  
  METHODS
  The telaprevir 2250 mg/day and 1500 mg/day groups each contained 60 patients matched by age, sex and history of previous interferon-based treatment. Serum levels of genotype 1 hepatitis C virus RNA, hemoglobin levels, drug adherence and drug discontinuation rates were monitored during and after triple therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients receiving telaprevir 1500 mg/day had significantly lower telaprevir adherence and lower initial ribavirin dose but similar or superior pegylated interferon and ribavirin adherence and a lower rate of telaprevir discontinuation than did those receiving telaprevir 2250 mg/day. The early virological responses and sustained virological response rates were similar in both groups. Hemoglobin levels decreased to a greater extent in patients treated with telaprevir 2250 mg/day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to triple therapy including telaprevir 2250 mg/day, that including telaprevir at a reduced dose of 1500 mg/day was associated with lower rates of anemia and similar antiviral efficacy. Such a regimen may meaningfully improve sustained virological response rates, especially among female and elderly Japanese patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatology, Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sezaki
authors.forename: Fumitaka
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosaka
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akuta
authors.forename: Taito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Tasuku
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Yasuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arase
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Hiromitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumada
keywords: chronic hepatitis; hepatitis C virus; pegylated interferon; ribavirin; telaprevir