Medical Journal of The Islamic Republic of Iran (May 2005)

A Multicenter Study To Evaluate The Safety And Efficacy Of Heber On (Interferon Alfa-2b) In Combination With Ribavirin For The Treatment Of Chronic Hepatitis C In Iran

  • H. Mirmomen,
  • M. Azmi,
  • M. Amirian,
  • F. Mansourghanaei,
  • M. Zahedi,
  • H. Vosoghinia,
  • M. Nasiri,
  • M. Talebi,
  • A. Ghavidel,
  • N. Daryani,
  • H. Ghofrani,
  • M. Farahvash,
  • H. Forootan,
  • A. Sharifi,
  • Sh. Mirmomen

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 1
pp. 7 – 12

Abstract

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Combination therapy with interferon and ribavirin is the most effective treatment for chronic hepatitis C today. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of thrice-weekly Heberon (interferon alfa-2b) in combination with ribavirin as first -line treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Methods: A total of97 treatment-naive patients received Heberon three million units thrice-weekly subcutaneously in combination with ribavirin for 12 months. Serum HCV RNA levels were measured before and during therapy and 6 months after the end of therapy. End-of-treatment and sustained virological responses was defmed as an undetectable HCV-RNA level at the end of treatment, and 6 months after treatment was completed (end of follow-up), respectively. Results: In an intent-to-treat analysis, HCV-RNA was undetectable at the end of treatment in 49.5% of patients. At the end of follow-up, sustained virological response was 36.1 %. Combination treatment was generally well tolerated. Six patients stopped therapy because of side effects: severe cytopenia (n=4), depression (n=1), and hyperthyroidism (n= 1 ). Common side effects of therapy include: Flu-like syndrome (85.6%), generalized alopecia (41.2% ), injection site inflammation (37.1% ), mood changes (36% ), anorexia (34%) and weight loss (32% ). Conclusion: Heberon as an IFN product in combination with ribavirin for treat-ment of patients with chronic hepatitis Cis relatively safe, feasible, and potentially efficacious. It has comparable results in achieving end-of-treatment and sustained virological responses in chronic hepatitis C.

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