Hepatitis C Information Central


Discover the latest news about Hepatitis C infection, diagnosis, symptoms and treatments here at Hepatitis-Central.com.

Hep C information

News, Updates and Commentary

Free Newsletter
Hepatitis C Newsletter
We value your privacy. We will not rent your email to anyone.

HEPATITIS NEWS
The top stories compiled from over 5,500 sources, updated every 15 minutes

77 more hepatitis cases may trace to clinic, officials say
LAS VEGAS Seventy-seven more people who were treated at a Las Vegas outpatient clinic have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, health officials said. Authorities can't say for sure how the 77 people were infected, said Brian Labus, senior epidemiologist

77 more hepatitis cases may trace to clinic
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Health officials in Las Vegas say 77 more people who were treated at an outpatient clinic have been diagnosed with hepatitis C. Authorities can't say for sure how the 77 people were infected. Officials say they know each was treated from


UPDATES AND COMMENTARY RSS Feed

Highly Effective Against HCV Genotype 1
When tested on people with Hepatitis C genotype 1, R7128 proved to be an effective addition to combination therapy after just four weeks' time. In addition to its anti-viral effect, polymerase inhibitor R7128 received good marks for safety and minimal...

Investigational Drug Beats Standard Therapy in Hepatitis C Study
A Phase IIa trial investigating triple combination therapy with PEGASYS, COPEGUS and Roche's investigational drug R1626, demonstrated a higher response rate than traditional combination therapy alone. While R1626's effectiveness and high barrier to resistance makes it a top Hepatitis C...

Hepatitis C Complications Helped by Maintenance Interferon
A four-year study confirms that low-dosage maintenance interferon therapy prevents disease progression in those with portal hypertension or cirrhosis from Hepatitis C....

LONG-TERM EFFICACY OF RIBAVIRIN PLUS INTERFERON-ALFA IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS

Background & Aims:

Sustained response to interferon treatment for chronic Hepatitis C is unsatisfactory, This study examined whether combining interferon alfa with ribavirin induces a better sustained efficacy than interferon alone in the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C.

Methods:

Sixty noncirrhotic patients with chronic Hepatitis C were randomly assigned to three groups, Group 1 received 1200 mg oral ribavirin daily plus 3 million units of recombinant interferon alfa 2a thrice weekly for 24 weeks, group 2 received the same dose of interferon alfa 2a alone for 24 weeks, and group 3 received no treatment, The patients were then followed up for an additional 96 weeks.


Results:

At the end of treatment, a complete response (normal serum alanine aminotransferase level and undetectable serum Hepatitis C virus RNA) was achieved in 16 of the 21 patients in group 1 (76%), as compared with 6 of 19 in group 2 (32%) and none in group 3, At 96 weeks after the end of treatment, patients in group 1 sustained a higher complete response rate than patients in group 2 (43% vs, 6%).


Conclusions:

Combined treatment- with ribavirin and interferon alfa 2a for 24 weeks is more effective than interferon alfa 2a alone for the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C, The biochemical and virological responses were sustained in about one half of the treated patients for at least 2 years after cessation of the therapy.

Author: DS CHEN,
NATL TAIWAN UNIV HOSP,
HEPATITIS RES CTR, 7
CHUNG SHAN
SRD, TAIPEI, TAIWAN



Table Of Contents

Hepatitis Central

http://hepatitis-central.com

  Hep C information

Information at this website is for educational purposes only; statements about products and health conditions
have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

©1994-2008 Hepatitis-Central.com
Updated 09 May 2008