Peginterferon still has a place in the treatment of hepatitis C caused by genotype 3 virus

ABSTRACT Despite recent advances in therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the disease caused by genotype 3 virus (GEN3) is still considered a treatment challenge in certain patient subgroups. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the peginterferon (Peg-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
Main Authors: Aline Vitali Grando, Paulo Roberto Abrão Ferreira, Mário Guimarães Pessôa, Daniel Ferraz de Campos Mazo, Carlos Eduardo Brandão-Mello, Tânia Reuter, Ana de Lourdes Candolo Martinelli, Mário Peribanez Gonzalez, Ana Catharina Seixas-Santos Nastri, Aléia Faustina Campos, Max Igor Banks Ferreira Lopes, José David Urbaez Brito, Maria Cássia Mendes-Corrêa
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2017
Subjects:
Hepatitis C
Chronic hepatitis C
Coinfection HCV-HIV
Interferons
Ribavirin
HCV genotypes
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Infectious and parasitic diseases
RC109-216
Arctic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/s1678-9946201759067
https://doaj.org/article/f53fff078b5644538d78b177c7fa08a4
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Summary:ABSTRACT Despite recent advances in therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC), the disease caused by genotype 3 virus (GEN3) is still considered a treatment challenge in certain patient subgroups. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the peginterferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) combination treatment for GEN3/CHC patients, and to evaluate sustained virological response (SVR) indicators and early treatment interruption due to serious adverse events (SAE). This was a retrospective observational study of GEN3/CHC patients, co-infected or not by HIV and treated with Peg-IFN/RBV in nine Brazilian healthcare centers. The study sample included 184 GEN3/CHC patients; 70 (38%) were co-infected with HIV. The overall SVR rate was 57.1% (95% CI 50-64). Among co-infected and mono-infected patients, the SVR rate was 51.4% (36/70) and 60.5% (69/114), respectively (p=0.241). Thirty-four (18.5%) patients experienced SAE and interrupted treatment. SVR was negatively associated with the use of Peg-IFN alpha 2b (PR 0.75; 95% CI 0.58-0.99; p=0.045) and to early treatment interruption due to SAE (PR 0.36; 95% CI 0.20-0.68; p=0.001). Early treatment interruption due to SAE was associated with age (PR 1.06; 95% CI 1.02-1.10; p<0.001) and occurrence of liver cirrhosis (PR 2.06; 95% CI 1.11-3.83; p=0.022). In conclusion, Peg-IFN/RBV might represent an adequate treatment option, mainly in young patients without advanced liver disease or when the use of direct-action drugs is limited to specific patient groups.

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