TY - JOUR
T1 - Pegylated interferon alpha-2b (Peg-IFN α-2b) affects early virologic response dose-dependently in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 during treatment with Peg-IFN α-2b plus ribavirin
AU - Oze, T.
AU - Hiramatsu, N.
AU - Yakushijin, T.
AU - Kurokawa, M.
AU - Igura, T.
AU - Mochizuki, K.
AU - Imanaka, K.
AU - Yamada, A.
AU - Oshita, M.
AU - Hagiwara, H.
AU - Mita, E.
AU - Ito, T.
AU - Inui, Y.
AU - Hijioka, T.
AU - Tamura, S.
AU - Yoshihara, H.
AU - Hayashi, E.
AU - Inoue, A.
AU - Imai, Y.
AU - Kato, M.
AU - Yoshida, Y.
AU - Tatsumi, T.
AU - Ohkawa, K.
AU - Kiso, S.
AU - Kanto, T.
AU - Kasahara, A.
AU - Takehara, T.
AU - Hayashi, N.
PY - 2009/8
Y1 - 2009/8
N2 - Chronic hepatitis C (CH-C) genotype 1 patients who achieved early virologic response have a high probability of sustained virologic response (SVR) following pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) plus ribavirin therapy. This study was conducted to evaluate how reducing drug doses affects complete early virologic response (c-EVR) defined as hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA negativity at week 12. Nine hundred eighty-four patients with CH-C genotype 1 were enrolled. Drug doses were evaluated independently on a body weight base from doses actually taken. From multivariate analysis, the mean dose of Peg-IFN α-2b during the first 12 weeks was the independent factor for c-EVR (P = 0.02), not ribavirin. The c-EVR rate was 55% in patients receiving ≥1.2 μg/kg/week of Peg-IFN, and declined to 38% at 0.9-1.2 μg/kg/week, and 22% in patients given <0.9 μg/kg/week (P < 0.0001). Even with stratified analysis according to ribavirin dose, the dose-dependent effect of Peg-IFN on c-EVR was observed, and similar c-EVR rates were obtained if the dose categories of Peg-IFN were the same. Furthermore, the mean dose of Peg-IFN during the first 12 weeks affected HCV RNA negativity at week 24 (P < 0.0001) and SVR (P < 0.0001) in a dose-dependent manner. Our results suggest that Peg-IFN was dose-dependently correlated with c-EVR, independently of ribavirin dose. Thus, maintaining the Peg-IFN dose as high as possible during the first 12 weeks can yield HCV RNA negativity and higher c-EVR rates, leading to better SVR rates in patients with CH-C genotype 1.
AB - Chronic hepatitis C (CH-C) genotype 1 patients who achieved early virologic response have a high probability of sustained virologic response (SVR) following pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) plus ribavirin therapy. This study was conducted to evaluate how reducing drug doses affects complete early virologic response (c-EVR) defined as hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA negativity at week 12. Nine hundred eighty-four patients with CH-C genotype 1 were enrolled. Drug doses were evaluated independently on a body weight base from doses actually taken. From multivariate analysis, the mean dose of Peg-IFN α-2b during the first 12 weeks was the independent factor for c-EVR (P = 0.02), not ribavirin. The c-EVR rate was 55% in patients receiving ≥1.2 μg/kg/week of Peg-IFN, and declined to 38% at 0.9-1.2 μg/kg/week, and 22% in patients given <0.9 μg/kg/week (P < 0.0001). Even with stratified analysis according to ribavirin dose, the dose-dependent effect of Peg-IFN on c-EVR was observed, and similar c-EVR rates were obtained if the dose categories of Peg-IFN were the same. Furthermore, the mean dose of Peg-IFN during the first 12 weeks affected HCV RNA negativity at week 24 (P < 0.0001) and SVR (P < 0.0001) in a dose-dependent manner. Our results suggest that Peg-IFN was dose-dependently correlated with c-EVR, independently of ribavirin dose. Thus, maintaining the Peg-IFN dose as high as possible during the first 12 weeks can yield HCV RNA negativity and higher c-EVR rates, leading to better SVR rates in patients with CH-C genotype 1.
KW - Chronic hepatitis C
KW - Drug dose
KW - Early virologic response
KW - HCV RNA negativity
KW - Pegylated interferon plus ribavirin
KW - Sustained virologic response
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=68749086302&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=68749086302&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2009.01116.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2009.01116.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 19552663
AN - SCOPUS:68749086302
SN - 1352-0504
VL - 16
SP - 578
EP - 585
JO - Journal of Viral Hepatitis
JF - Journal of Viral Hepatitis
IS - 8
ER -