Although interferon is still the only approved treatment for hepatitis C infection, the response rate with currently approved regimens remains distressingly low. Researchers continue to work with different dosing regimens and combinations of drugs to improve the natural history of the disease and try to eliminate the hepatitis C virus. At the recent Digestive Disease Week meeting in New Orleans, gastroenterologists and liver experts heard an impressive number of study reports on these new treatment approaches. Medical Post Editor Pat Rich presents a summary of some of that work here.
Ribavirin is a synthetic nucleoside analogue with broad antiviral activity.
These rates were slightly higher than those receiving interferon with placebo. The most frequently reported adverse events were flu-like symptoms while the most common severe adverse events were fatigue and headache. Manageable and reversible hemolysis also occurs when ribavirin is added to interferon therapy. Because of these findings, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unanimously concluded the combination therapy is safe and effective for adult chronic hepatitis C patients with compensated disease who have relapsed following monotherapy with interferon, according to Schering-Plough. At DDW, a study by Dr. Raffaello Sostegni and colleagues from Torino, Italy, suggested the timing of ribavirin introduction may have an impact on the success of therapy.