Combined treatment with interferon alpha‐2b and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C in patients with a previous non‐response or non‐sustained response to interferon alone

Abstract

Ten patients with chronic hepatitis C, six of whom had not responded and four of whom had responded in a non‐sustained fashion to interferon‐alpha treatment alone, were given interferon alpha‐2b and ribavirin in combination during 24 weeks. Interferon alpha‐2b was given subcutaneously, at a dose of 3 MU thrice weekly, together with ribavirin orally, at a dose of 1, 000‐1, 200 mg/day. All four patients with a prior non‐sustained response to interferon alone had normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels at the end of treatment as well as during follow‐up (⩾24 weeks post treatment). Furthermore, all four lost serum HCV‐RNA at the end of treatment and three continued to be negative during follow‐up. Among patients with a prior non‐response to interferon alone three of six had normal ALT levels at the end of treatment and one at follow‐up. Two of six became HCV‐RNA negative at cessation of treatment, one of whom was negative also at followup. All former non‐sustained responders and one of six non‐responder patients thus showed a sustained biochemical response with eradication of HCV‐RNA from serum in all cases but one. It is concluded that combination therapy with interferon alpha‐2b and ribavirin offers a chance of sustained biochemical resposne with eradication of the viremia in patients who have not shown a persistent response to interferon‐alpha alone.