Conditions: Hepatitis C
Keywords: Hepatitis C Virus Antiviral Agents Hemolysis Neutropenia Cirrhosis Hemolytic Anemia Viral Hepatitis Ribavirin Alfa Interferon Pegylated Interferon Hepatitis C HCV
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 58
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This study will examine the effectiveness of low-dose peginterferon and ribavirin therapy for certain patients with chronic hepatitis C-a liver disease that, in some patients, can progress to cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, and liver failure.

Detailed description:
Sixty patients with chronic hepatitis C infected with HCV genotype 2 or 3 will be treated using the combination of either low- or standard dose peginterferon and ribavirin for 24 weeks, with re-treatment using the standard doses and a longer duration (48 weeks) for those who do not respond to or relapse after initial low dose therapy.

Adult patients with chronic hepatitis C who have HCV genotype 2 or 3 and previously have not received anti-viral treatment will be given peginterferon alfa-2a (90 or 180 micrograms weekly by injection) and ribavirin (800 mg daily by mouth). Patients will be monitored at 2- to 4-week intervals for side effects, compliance, complete blood counts, liver biochemical tests and HCV RNA. Patients becoming HCV RNA negative by week 12 will be considered on-treatment responders, continue therapy to week 24, and be monitored thereafter for another 24 weeks. Patients who do not become HCV RNA negative by week 12 as well as patients who relapse after therapy will be retreated with 180 micrograms of peginterferon weekly and 800 mg of ribavirin for another 48 weeks.

The primary outcome will be sustained loss of HCV RNA at 24 weeks after low- or standard-dose combination therapy. Secondary outcomes include viral kinetics and side effects. Because of preliminary results in the initial 31 patients enrolled in this study, the dose of peginterferon was changed from 90 to 180 micrograms weekly for the remaining 29 patients to be enrolled, allowing for a direct comparison of efficacy, viral kinetics and side effects of standard- vs low-dose peginterferon therapy.

This study will evaluate the relative efficacy and safety of the standard versus lower doses of peginterferon with ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C and HCV genotype 2 or 3.

Arms:
arm 1: Patients receive a lower dose of peginterferon alfa-2a (90 mcg per week) and standard dose of ribavirin (800 mg/d) for chronic hepatitis C, genotype 2/3, for 24 weeks. arm 2: Patients receive the standard, recommended doses of peginterferon alfa-2a (180 mcg per week) and ribavirin (800 mg/d) for chronic hepatitis c, genotype 2/3, for 24 weeks.

Interventions: intervention 1: Peginterferon alfa-2a intervention 2: Peginterferon alfa-2a intervention 3: Ribavirin
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Peginterferon alfa-2a 90 mcg/week intervention 2: 180 mcg/week intervention 3: 800 mg/day

Protocol document: