Conditions: Hepatitis C, Chronic
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 235
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa-2a 40KD + ribavirin combination therapy given for 24 weeks versus 48 weeks in patients with chronic hepatitis C, genotype 2/3.

Detailed description:
During a pre-study run-in phase patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 2/3, who had started therapy with PEG-IFN alfa-2a plus ribavirin according to local standard of care and did not achieve a rapid viral response (RVR) (defined as Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA \<15 IU/mL at Week 4 of treatment measured with the Roche COBAS AmpliPrep / COBAS TaqMan® HCV Test) were eligible for the study and entered the screening phase between treatment Week 4 and 8 as soon as the result of the Week 4 HCV RNA test was available.

Eligible patients entered the study and continued with the dose regimens of PEG-IFN alfa-2a and ribavirin they were taking prior to enrolment into the trial up to Week 24 of treatment. Patients who achieved at least a 2-log10 drop of HCV RNA at Week 12 (as compared to HCV RNA levels prior to treatment initiation) or had HCV RNA \<15 IU/mL, and who were still taking study medication at treatment Week 24, were randomized at treatment Week 24 to one of the two study groups. Upon randomization, participants either stopped treatment (equaling 24 weeks of treatment) or continued treatment for another 24 weeks (equaling 48 weeks of treatment). A treatment free follow-up period of 24 weeks (for participants in the 48-week treatment group) or 48 weeks (participants in the 24-week treatment group) completed the study.

Arms:
arm 1: After 24 weeks of treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2a (PEG-IFN alfa-2a) 180 μg/week plus ribavirin 800-1200 mg/day participants who achieved at least a 2-log10 drop of hepatitis C virus (HCV) ribonucleic acid (RNA) at Week 12 (as compared to HCV RNA levels prior to treatment initiation) or had HCV RNA \<15 IU/mL, and who were still taking study medication at treatment Week 24 were randomized into the study, at which time treatment was stopped. Participants were followed for an additional 48 weeks during the treatment-free follow-up period. arm 2: After 24 weeks of treatment with PEG-IFN alfa-2a 180 μg/week plus ribavirin 800-1200 mg/day participants who achieved at least a 2-log10 drop of HCV RNA at Week 12 (as compared to HCV RNA levels prior to treatment initiation) or had HCV RNA \<15 IU/mL, and who were still taking study medication at treatment Week 24 were randomized into the study, and continued treatment for another 24 weeks (for a total of 48 weeks of treatment). Participants were followed for an additional 24 weeks during the treatment-free follow-up period.

Interventions: intervention 1: peginterferon alfa-2a intervention 2: Ribavirin
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: None intervention 2: None

Protocol document: