Effect of Peginterferon Alpha-2 a in the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C / 中国药师

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of peginterferon alpha-2a plus ribavirin in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Methods:Totally 85 patients with chronic hepatitis C were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group. Each patient in the observation group was injected subcutaneously peginterferon alpha-2a with the dose of 180μg once a week plus ribavirin 900-1 200 mg/d, po, and each patient in the control was treated subcutaneously with 5 MU standard interferon alpha-2b three times a week plus the same used ribavirin. After the 48-week treatment, 24-week fellow-up was carried out. HCV RNA and ALT were detected at the baseline, 4th week, 12th week and 48th week during the treatment, and 24th week after the treatment, respective-ly. The rate of rapid virological response ( RVR) , early virological response ( EVR) , end of treatment virological response ( ETVR) , sustained virological response (SVR), ALT normalization and adverse reactions were respectively assessed. Results: The rates of EVR,ETVR and SVR in the observation group were 76. 7%(33/43), 86. 0%(37/43) and 79. 1%(34/43), respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the control group [54. 8%(23/43), 66. 7%(28/43) and 57. 1%(24/43),respectively] (P<0. 05). The ALT normalization rate at 12th and 48th week after the treatment in the observation group was 81. 4% and 90. 7%, re-spectively, which were higher than those in the control group [64. 3% and 71. 4%, respectively](P<0. 05). The rate of white cell counts and platelet underlying (58. 1% and 39. 5%) in the observation group were also higher than those in the control group (35. 7%and 19.0%)(P<0.05). The decreased rate of neutrophil (58.1%) in the observation group was higher than that in the control group(19. 0%)(P<0. 01). The other adverse reactions in the two groups were similar, and there was no new or unique adverse event related to peginterferon. Conclusion:Peginterferon alpha-2a has better effect than the standard interferon alpha-2b in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C with promising tolerance.

A Case of Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibody-Positive Rheumatoid Arthritis Following Peginterferon Alpha-2A and Ribavirin Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C / 대한내과학회지

Combination therapy with pegylated interferon (IFN) and ribavirin is the mainstay of treatment for chronic hepatitis C. An important side effect of IFN is the induction of an autoimmune disease such as autoimmune thyroid disease or, rarely, rheumatoid arthritis. However, the introduction of pegylated formulations of IFN can minimize the risk of autoimmune induction by reducing immunogenicity. Detection of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies can help distinguish rheumatoid arthritis from hepatitis C-related arthritis. Here, we report the first Korean case of a 48-year-old female who developed anti-CCP antibody-positive rheumatoid arthritis following peginterferon alpha-2a therapy for hepatitis C.

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C: Efficacy of initial treatment of peginterferon alpha-2a versus peginterferon alpha-2b plus ribavirin in naive chronic hepatitis C patients / 대한간학회지

No abstract available.

Thymosin Alpha-1 in Combination with Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Who have Failed to Prior Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin Treatment

Combination therapy with inteferon-alpha and ribavirin is an approved therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C. However, even with the use of pegylated interferon, response rates are still poor in many difficult-to-treat groups, especially with genotype 1 and high viral loads. Retreatment of these patients remains challenging. Newer combinations are being investigated to optimize chances of attaining a sustained response in these groups. Thymosin alpha 1 is a polypeptide with immunomodulatory properties that has been suggested to increase response rates in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Herein, we describe two cases of retreatment patients with chronic hepatitis C who have failed prior pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy. They received triple combination therapies of thymosin alpha 1, pegylated interferon and ribavirin and achieved sustained virological responses. These cases support that thymosin-alpha 1 may increase the efficacy of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in the treatment of non-responders to previous combination therapy.