Combination Therapy Effective for Refractory Hepatitis C Infection

A study of a new combination therapy for patients with Hepatitis C infection who had failed to respond to the drug ribavirin alone was presented at the American College of Gastroenterologyâs 67th Annual Scientific Meeting. Researchers from the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and the University of California San Diego Medical Center found that among those patients who previously failed to respond to ribavirin, treatment with a combination of pegylated interferon alpha-2-b with ribavirin for 48 weeks achieved viral response for 34 percent of study participants. Of the 178 patients enrolled in this randomized, open-labeled trial, 77 completed 48 weeks of therapy.

ãThis is interim data, but if the final results are as encouraging as the interim analysis, re-treatment with pegylated interferon alpha-2-b and ribavirin should be recommended for patients with chronic hepatitis C infection previously refractory to therapy with ribavirin,ä said Chris B. Hyun, M.D. of the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, an estimated 3.9 million (1.8 percent) Americans have been infected with HCV, of whom 2.7 million are chronically infected. Among those with chronic hepatitis C infection, fifteen to twenty percent will eventually develop cirrhosis of the liver. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved pegylated interferon alpha-2-b for the treatment of hepatitis.

The ACG was formed in 1932 to advance the scientific study and medical treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The College promotes the highest standards in medical education and is guided by its commitment to meeting the needs of clinical gastroenterology practitioners. Consumers can get more information on GI diseases through the following ACG-sponsored programs:

á 1-800-978-7666 (free brochures on common GI disorders, including ulcer, colon cancer, gallstones, and liver disease)á 1-800-HRT-BURN (free brochure and video on heartburn and GERD)á http://www.acg.gi.org (ACGâs Web site)