Antiviral Activity of Interferon beta-1a with or without Ribavirin in Asian Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C

Treatment with pegylated interferon alpha-2a (Pegasys) or pegylated interferon alpha -2b (PegIntron) plus ribavirin is the current standard of care for treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This regimen produces a sustained virological response (SVR) in approximately 50%-60% of patients.

Interferon beta is a potential alternative to interferon alpha. In a study published in the August 2007 issue of Hepatology, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong evaluated the efficacy and durability of interferon beta alone and in combination with ribavirin in treatment-naive Asian patients with chronic hepatitis C.

In an initial randomized, double-blind phase, 257 patients with chronic hepatitis C received either placebo injections or interferon beta-1a, at a dosage of 44 micrograms subcutaneously 3 times weekly, for a total of 12 weeks.

In a subsequent open-label phase, non-responders who initially were assigned to the placebo arm received 24 weeks of treatment with interferon beta-1a plus ribavirin, whereas participants initially assigned to the interferon beta monotherapy arm received an additional 12 weeks of therapy.

The primary outcome variable was SVR, defined as negative HCV RNA at weeks 24 and 48.

Results

• 34 of 128 patients (26.6%) receiving interferon beta-1a achieved SVR, compared with 0 of 129 patients (0%) receiving the placebo (P < 0.001).
• 0.001 vs interferon beta-1a monotherapy).<In the interferon beta-1a/ribavirin group, 73 of 127 patients (57.5%) achieved SVR (P •In HCV genotype 1 patients, 37 of 80 patients (46.3%) treated with interferon beta-1a plus ribavirin achieved SVR, compared with 19 of 85 patients (22.4%) treated with interferon beta-1a alone (P = 0.001).

In conclusion, the authors wrote, "Interferon beta-1a produced a clear antiviral effect in Asian patients with chronic HCV infection. The addition of ribavirin to interferon beta-1a significantly increased the proportion of patients who achieved an SVR versus interferon beta-1a monotherapy."

08/28/07

Reference

B L Chan, H Ren, W C Chow, and others. Randomized trial of beta-1a with or without ribavirin in Asian patients with chronic hepatitis C. Hepatology 46(2): 315-323. August 2007.