Abstract
Acute infection due to hepatitis C virus results in a chronic progression in 50-84% of cases. In the light of the risk of developing chronic disease and the response rate to treatment once the disease is established, it is very important to consider early treatment of acute hepatitis C before it progresses to the chronic form. The aim of this review is to evaluate the real efficacy and tolerance of Peg-interferon alfa-2b in monotherapy and in association with ribavirin in the treatment of patients affected by acute C hepatitis, to delineate the viral factors correlated with the sustained virological response and to consider when treatment should be started in relation to onset and what is the optimal duration of therapy. Also the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of PEG-IFN alfa-2b and ribavirin are reassessed. The analysis of literature demonstrates that Peg-interferon alfa-2b treatment is efficacious in terms of attaining sustained virological response (71-94% of cases). Treatment must be started within three months of onset and must be prolonged for three months. Only two studies have provided evidence the needed of a prolonged treatment for six months for genotype 1 infections. In all studies therapy has been generally well tolerated. Sustained virological response is independent of baseline viral load and of HCV genotypes in patients treated for six months, while in subjects treated for three months it seems to be dependent on HCV-genotype, with genotype 1 characterized by a less favourable outcome. Combination therapy with ribavirin does not seem to increase the response rate but could be proposed as a second choice to patients not responding to IFN monotherapy.
Keywords: Peg-interferon, HCV, acute hepatitis C, treatment, monotherapy
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry
Title: PEG-Interferon Alfa-2b for Acute Hepatitis C: A Review
Volume: 7 Issue: 8
Author(s): Emilio Palumbo
Affiliation:
Keywords: Peg-interferon, HCV, acute hepatitis C, treatment, monotherapy
Abstract: Acute infection due to hepatitis C virus results in a chronic progression in 50-84% of cases. In the light of the risk of developing chronic disease and the response rate to treatment once the disease is established, it is very important to consider early treatment of acute hepatitis C before it progresses to the chronic form. The aim of this review is to evaluate the real efficacy and tolerance of Peg-interferon alfa-2b in monotherapy and in association with ribavirin in the treatment of patients affected by acute C hepatitis, to delineate the viral factors correlated with the sustained virological response and to consider when treatment should be started in relation to onset and what is the optimal duration of therapy. Also the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of PEG-IFN alfa-2b and ribavirin are reassessed. The analysis of literature demonstrates that Peg-interferon alfa-2b treatment is efficacious in terms of attaining sustained virological response (71-94% of cases). Treatment must be started within three months of onset and must be prolonged for three months. Only two studies have provided evidence the needed of a prolonged treatment for six months for genotype 1 infections. In all studies therapy has been generally well tolerated. Sustained virological response is independent of baseline viral load and of HCV genotypes in patients treated for six months, while in subjects treated for three months it seems to be dependent on HCV-genotype, with genotype 1 characterized by a less favourable outcome. Combination therapy with ribavirin does not seem to increase the response rate but could be proposed as a second choice to patients not responding to IFN monotherapy.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Emilio Palumbo , PEG-Interferon Alfa-2b for Acute Hepatitis C: A Review, Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry 2007; 7 (8) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138955707781387902
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138955707781387902 |
Print ISSN 1389-5575 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5607 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Bioprospecting of Natural Products as Sources of New Multitarget Therapies
According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, bioprospecting is the exploration of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge to develop commercially valuable products for pharmaceutical and other applications. Bioprospecting involves searching for useful organic compounds in plants, fungi, marine organisms, and microorganisms. Natural products traditionally constituted the primary source of more than ...read more
Computational Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry
The thematic issue "Computational Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry" provides a robust platform for delving into state-of-the-art computational methodologies and technologies that significantly propel advancements in medicinal chemistry. This edition seeks to amalgamate top-tier reviews spotlighting the latest trends and breakthroughs in the fusion of computational approaches, including artificial intelligence (AI) ...read more
Natural Products and Dietary Supplements in Alleviation of Metabolic, Cardiovascular, and Neurological Disorders
Metabolic disorders like diabetes, obesity, inflammation, oxidative stress, cancer etc, cardiovascular disorders like angina, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure etc as well as neurological disorders like Alzheimer?s, Parkinson?s, Epilepsy, Depression, etc are the global burden. They covered the major segment of the diseases and disorders from which the human community ...read more
Natural Products in Drug Discovery
Natural products have always been one of the important ways of drug discovery due to their novel skeleton and diverse functional group characteristics. According to statistics, between 1981 and 2019, the FDA approved a total of 1,394 small molecule drugs for marketing, of which 930 marketed drugs originated from the ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
The Ubiquitin+Proteasome Protein Degradation Pathway as a Therapeutic Strategy in the Treatment of Solid Tumor Malignancies
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Cyclophilin A as a Target of Cisplatin Chemosensitizers
Current Cancer Drug Targets Combining Gene Therapy and Radiation Against Cancer
Current Gene Therapy Integrated Genomic and Pharmacological Approaches to Identify Synthetic Lethal Genes as Cancer Therapeutic Targets
Current Molecular Medicine An Update on Natural Occurrence and Biological Activity of Chromones
Current Medicinal Chemistry Histamine and Histamine Receptor Antagonists in Cancer Biology
Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets (Discontinued) Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy with Somatostatin Analogues in Neuroendocrine Tumors
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry A Review on Metal Nanoparticles from Medicinal Plants: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology-Asia Nanoprobes for Medical Diagnosis: Current Status of Nanotechnology in Molecular Imaging
Current Nanoscience The Nitric Oxide Prodrug JS-K and Its Structural Analogues as Cancer Therapeutic Agents
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Targeting Mitochondria in Fighting Cancer
Current Pharmaceutical Design Inhibition of Transcription Factors by Plant-Derived Compounds and their Implications in Inflammation and Cancer
Current Pharmaceutical Design Clinical Application of Sorafenib for Treating Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Beyond
Clinical Cancer Drugs ROCK Inhibitors as Emerging Therapeutic Candidates for Sarcomas
Current Cancer Drug Targets Focus on the Multimodal Role of Biomarkers in Breast Cancer
Current Pharmaceutical Design Spinophilin: A New Tumor Suppressor at 17q21
Current Molecular Medicine Therapeutic Challenges in Neuroendocrine Tumors
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Editorial [Hot Topic: ADAMs: Targets for Drug Discovery (Executive Editor: Marcia L. Moss)]
Current Pharmaceutical Design Base-Modified Nucleosides as Chemotherapeutic Agents: Past and Future
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Tumor Systems Need to be Rendered Usable for a New Action-Theoretical Abstraction: The Starting Point for Novel Therapeutic Options
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews