Consensus Interferon After Nonresponse to Standard HCV Therapy

Patients without cirrhosis who demonstrated some sensitivity to pegylated interferon achieved the best response to interferon alfacon-1 plus ribavirin.

About half of all patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who receive standard therapy with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin do not clear the infection. Success rates after retreatment are low, and no approved regimens exist specifically for nonresponders.

In an industry-funded, phase III, open-label trial, researchers evaluated interferon alfacon-1 (Infergen) — a bio-optimized interferon also known as consensus interferon (JW Gastroenterol Apr 11 2006) — in 515 nonresponders to standard HCV therapy (65% white, 19% black; mean body-mass index, 29 kg/m²). Of these patients, 95% had HCV genotype 1, 60% had advanced fibrosis, and 52% had steatosis.

Patients were randomized into three groups to receive 9 μg/day of interferon alfacon-1 …

Reviewing Author

Atif Zaman, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Atif Zaman, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Consensus Interferon After Nonresponse to Standard HCV Therapy

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Reviewing Author