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Eight‐week regimen of antiviral combination therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin for patients with chronic hepatitis C with hepatitis C virus genotype 2 and a rapid virological response
Author(s) -
Toyoda Hidenori,
Kumada Takashi,
Kiriyama Seiki,
Sone Yasuhiro,
Tanikawa Makoto,
Hisanaga Yasuhiro,
Kanamori Akira,
Atsumi Hiroyuki,
Nakano Satoshi,
Arakawa Takahiro
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
liver international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.873
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1478-3231
pISSN - 1478-3223
DOI - 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2008.01736.x
Subject(s) - ribavirin , medicine , regimen , virology , genotype , antiviral therapy , chronic hepatitis , hepatitis c virus , virus , gastroenterology , biology , gene , biochemistry
Background: It remains unclear how we can shorten the treatment duration of antiviral combination therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 infection who achieved a rapid virological response (RVR). Aim: We compared the efficacy of antiviral combination therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin for 8 vs. 24 weeks for the treatment of patients with HCV genotype 2 infection and with RVR. Methods: Sixty‐one patients were enrolled. Serum HCV RNA was not detected at 4 weeks after the start of treatment in 32 patients with an RVR. These 32 patients were randomly assigned to 8‐week ( n =15) or 24‐week ( n =17) treatment regimens. Patients in the 8‐week group who relapsed underwent a 24‐week retreatment. Results: No significant difference in patient characteristics was observed between the 8‐ and the 24‐week treatment groups. A sustained virological response (SVR) was seen in five of 15 patients (33.3%) in the 8‐week treatment group and 14 of 17 (82.4%) in the 24‐week treatment group; the rate was significantly higher in the 24‐week treatment group ( P =0.0140). Nine of 10 relapsed patients in the 8‐week treatment group underwent a 24‐week retreatment, and seven achieved an SVR. Conclusion: An 8‐week regimen of combination antiviral therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin yielded an increase in the relapse rate, indicating the limitation of a reduction of treatment below 12 weeks in patients with genotype 2, after RVR.