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Complete Early Virological Response Was Highly Achieved by Double Filtration Plasmapheresis Plus IFN‐Beta Induction Therapy for HCV‐1b Patients With Relapse or No Response After Previous IFN Therapy
Author(s) -
Ishikawa Toru,
Higuchi Kazuo,
Kubota Tomoyuki,
Seki Keiichi,
Honma Terasu,
Yoshida Toshiaki,
Kamimura Tomoteru,
Tasaki Kazuyuki,
Hirose Shintarou,
Suzuki Yasushi
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
therapeutic apheresis and dialysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.415
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1744-9987
pISSN - 1744-9979
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-9987.2011.00965.x
Subject(s) - medicine , ribavirin , combination therapy , pegylated interferon , gastroenterology , induction therapy , interferon , viral load , immunology , chronic hepatitis , virus , chemotherapy
The efficacy of double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) plus interferon (IFN)‐β induction therapy was preliminarily investigated in re‐treated patients with chronic genotype 1b hepatitis C and high viral load (patients with relapse or non‐response to previous IFN therapies). In eight patients with chronic hepatitis C, DFPP was performed five times over 2 weeks during IFN‐β therapy, and 3 MU of IFN‐β was administered twice a day for 2 weeks. Combination therapies with ribavirin and pegylated IFN‐α2b (PEG‐IFN‐α2b) or pegylated IFN‐α2a (PEG‐IFN‐α2a) were subsequently used. After 4 weeks, hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐RNA tended to be more greatly decreased with DFPP combination therapy than with previous IFN therapy (4.5 ± 2.0 log 10 IU/mL vs. 2.9 ± 1.2 log 10 IU/mL). Rates of both rapid virological response and complete early virological response were significantly higher with DFPP and IFN‐β induction therapy than with previous IFN therapy. DFPP plus IFN‐β induction therapy produced a great reduction of viral load during the early stage of treatment and achieved a high early virological response, suggesting that this combination therapy may be useful as a new treatment modality for chronic hepatitis C patients in difficult‐to‐treat states. This combination may contribute to sustained virological response (SVR). The effects of DFPP on SVR and its significance remain to be clarified.