Abstract
Purpose: Patients undergoing treatment for chronic HCV often endure side effects and complications to achieve the ultimate goal of sustained virological response (SVR). Lack of therapeutic response (EOT) and relapse (positive HCV RNA 6-mo after EOT) rates are underreported. Aim: To determine the non-response and relapse rates in patients with chronic HCV treated with ribavirin + PEG-IFN 2a or 2b. Methods: Clinical, demographic and virological data of naive patients with HCV undergoing treatment at a VAMC from November 2002 until now were included. ITT analysis was used. Results: 222 naive patients received treatment (95 with PEG-IFN 2a and 127 with 2b). Of these, 156 patients (69 in the PEG-IFN 2a and 87 in the PEG-IFN 2b) underwent treatment until either EOT was achieved or EVR was not achieved (non-responders). The initial demographics and virologic characteristics of patients in both groups is given in Table 1. The overall SVR in the PEG IFN 2a was 46.3% and 32.3% for those receiving PEG IFN 2b (p= 0.03) whereas the non-response rates were 18.9% and 33.1% (p= 0.02), respectively. The overall relapse rate was 7.1% (10.1% for PEG-IFN 2a and 4.6% for PEG IFN 2b). The clinical and virological characteristics in these 2 groups of patients are depicted in Table 2.Table 1: Clinical characteristicsTable 2: SVR, Relapse and Non-response ratesConclusions: 1) The overall SVR was 38.2%, significantly greater for those receiving PEG-IFN 2a. 2) Conversely, the overall non-response rate was 27%, significantly greater for those receiving PEG-IFN 2b. 3) The overall relapse rate (7.1%) was low and no different between both PEG-IFN formulations.
Published Version
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