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Thymosin α 1 for treatment of hepatitis C virus: promise and proof
Author(s) -
Sherman Kenneth E.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05460.x
Subject(s) - virology , thymosin , proof of concept , hepatitis a virus , hepatitis virus , medicine , virus , computer science , operating system
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global public health problem, with chronic infection leading to development of cirrhosis, end‐stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Treatment of HCV is suboptimal with overall response rates of slightly greater than 50% when patients are treated with pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin. Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1; TA‐1) is an immunomodulatory peptide with intrinsic activities that might improve treatment outcomes for HCV by incorporation of this agent in current treatment paradigms. An extensive body of literature supports a possible role for this agent in difficult to treat populations. However, clinical trials to date have failed to conclusively support the role of TA‐1 in combination interferon‐based therapies. Therefore, the promise of TA‐1 adjunctive therapy for HCV remains, but the proof will require investment in large randomized clinical trials of appropriate patient populations.