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| |  Hepatitis C Virus Eradication Linked to Sustained Response After Treatment With Either Interferon alfa 2b or Pegylated Interferon alfa-2b Plus Ribavirin: Presented at AASLD By Maria Bishop BOSTON, MA -- November 5, 2007 -- Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication is associated with a sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients treated with interferon alfa 2b (IFN alfa 2b) or pegylated interferon alfa-2b (PEG-IFN alfa 2b) plus ribavirin, according to research presented here at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). A French study analysed 278 patients with chronic hepatitis C who achieved SVR after treatment with IFN alfa 2b or PEG-IFN alfa 2b with or without ribavirin. Lead author Sarah Maylin, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology of Infectious Diseases, Beaujon Hospital, Clichy, France, noted that none of the 278 patients experienced late relapse, despite the fact that some patients were followed for up to 17 years (mean 3.5 years +- 2.4). Serum HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) remained undetectable in all 1,050 serum samples tested during patient follow-up. Normal serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were maintained in 262 (94%) of patients. This study, stated Dr. Maylin, suggests that SVR is durable and is associated with a sharp decrease in anti-HCV antibody titers (mainly the nonstructural antibodies). SVR was defined as undetectable (< 50 copies per mL) serum HCV RNA at treatment cessation and at the end of the 6-month post-treatment follow-up. Nineteen patients with chronic HCV who had consistently normal serum ALT levels were used as controls for anti-HCV antibody titer follow-up. Patient doses in this study were as follows: 215 patients received PEG-IFN alfa-2b (1.5 ug/kg/wk) plus ribavirin (800-1200 mg/day according to body weight) for 6 months; 41 patients received IFN alfa 2b (3 million units 3 times per week) plus ribavirin (800-1200 mg/day according to body weight) for 6 months; and 22 patients received IFN alfa-2b (3 million units 3 times per week) for 6 months. This study was supported by funding from Schering-Plough.
[Presentation title: Sustained Virologic Response Is Associated With Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus and Decrease in Anti-HCV Titer in Patients Treated for Chronic Hepatitis C With Interferon alfa 2b or Pegylated Interferon alfa-2b + Ribavirin: Abstract 238]
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