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Potent induction therapy with interferon and ribavirin combination therapy does not achieve a higher sustained virological response rate in chronic hepatitis C with genotype 1b and high hepatitis C virus RNA level.

Enomoto S, Tamai H, Oka M, Shingaki N, Shiraki T, Takeuchi M, Deguchi H, Magari H, Inoue I, Iguchi M, Yanaoka K, Arii K, Fujishiro M, Yahagi N, Yotsuyanagi H, Ichinose M

Second Department of Internal Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.

Aims: To compare twice-daily interferon (IFN)-beta administration and once-daily IFN-alpha-2b administration as induction therapy in ribavirin combination therapy in chronic hepatitis C with a high viral load of genotype-1b hepatitis C virus (HCV). Methods: Sixty-one chronic hepatitis patients with a high viral load of genotype-1b HCV were randomly divided into three groups: group A was given IFN-beta 6 MU induction therapy twice daily for 2 weeks; group B was given IFN-alpha-2b 6 MU induction therapy once daily for 2 weeks; and group C was given no induction therapy. All three groups were then given IFN-alpha-2b 6 MU 3 days/week for the rest of the 24-week study period. Ribavirin was given for the entire 24-week study period. Results: Although the cumulative HCV-RNA negative rates tended to be higher in group A than in group B, the differencewas not significant. The HCV-RNA negative rate at week 2 was significantly higher in groups A and B than in group C (P < 0.05). The sustained virological response (SVR) rate was 16% overall, 21% for groups A and B, and 5% for group C; the SVR rate of groups A plus B tended to be higher than that of group C (P = 0.093). Conclusions: There was no difference between the effects of the two induction therapies; potent induction therapy does achieve higher early viral clearance but not a higher SVR rate.

Published 9 July 2007 in Hepatol Res, 37(9): 692-700.
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