Time for change: conventional interferon regimes should not be the standard of care for management of Pakistani genotype-3 in chronic Hepatitis C

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy and side effect profile of conventional interferon alpha-2b plus ribavirin for treating chronic hepatitis C genotype-3 infections in Pakistan. The study was conducted on treating 220 treatment-naAve individuals at KRL Hospital with conventional interferon given for 6 months. Both the response and side effects were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics. Out of total cohort, 84.92% [169 out of 199] achieved end of treatment response [ETR] while 63.31% [126 out of 199] achieved sustained virological response [SVR]. Leukopenia, gastrointestinal and miscellaneous systemic complaints were the most common adverse effects. In the context of a low ETR and SVR but a similar side effect profile as that of pegylated regimes, conventional therapy needs to be replaced with peg-interferon as the treatment of choice