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Interferon and ribavirin in HIV‐negative haemophiliacs with chronic hepatitis C who were nonresponders to a previous interferon treatment
Author(s) -
Franchini M.,
Tagliaferri A.,
Rossetti G.,
Capra F.,
Veneri D.,
De Maria E.,
Pattacini C.,
Aprili G.,
Gandini G.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
haemophilia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.213
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1365-2516
pISSN - 1351-8216
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2516.2002.00682.x
Subject(s) - ribavirin , medicine , interferon , chronic hepatitis , hepatitis c , gastroenterology , virology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , pegylated interferon , virus
Summary. Between January 1999 and December 2001, 33 HIV‐negative haemophiliacs with interferon‐nonresponsive chronic hepatitis C were treated with interferon (IFN) α2b (5 MU three times weekly) and ribavirin (1–1.2 g daily) for 12 months. Four patients (12.1%) dropped out of the study due to adverse effects. At the end of therapy, normalization of ALT occurred in 14/33 treated patients (42.4%) and HCV‐RNA was cleared in 12 (36.4%). Eleven patients (33.3%) became sustained responders. Genotype 1 was the only factor associated with a poor response to therapy ( P < 0.001). Our study shows that IFN and ribavirin combination therapy is effective in HIV‐negative chronically HCV‐infected haemophiliacs who do not respond to a previous IFN treatment.