Racial Differences in HCV Kinetics During Interferon-Based Therapy

The rapidity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA level decline after initiation of antiviral therapy predicts the likelihood of sustained virologic response (SVR). Among patients receiving interferon-based therapy, blacks have a lower SVR rate than whites. To determine whether viral kinetics differs between the two races, investigators examined changes in HCV RNA levels during the first 28 days of peginterferon and weight-based ribavirin therapy among patients with HCV genotype 1 infection (n=187 whites, 154 blacks). The study was partially funded by industry.

The median HCV RNA decrease was 1.84 log₁₀ IU/mL. Blacks had a slower decline in HCV RNA than whites: By day 28, 22% of whites versus 12% of blacks had HCV RNA levels <50 IU/mL. The drop in…