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The effects of a high dose, short course of interferon on hepatitis C

To shorten the period of interferon (IFN) treatment for chronic hepatitis C, we investigated the clinical efficacy of a regimen using a higher dose and a shorter treatment period. Fifty chronic hepatitis C patients who were hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐RNA positive and who were histologically diagnosed as having chronic hepatitis, took part in the study. Virus levels were measured before and 2 weeks after starting the treatment. We administered natural IFNα, 10 MU, i.m. daily for 2 consecutive weeks and then three times per week for the subsequent 14 weeks (total dose 560 MU). Patients who were HCV‐RNA negative at the completion of the therapy and 6 months later, were evaluated as sustained responders (SR; 32%). Those who were not HCV‐RNA negative at the two time points were evaluated as non‐responders. Nucleotide and clone differences in the hypervariable region (HVR) and predictive factors for prognosis were also analysed. Low virus level and HCV‐RNA genotype 2a/2b were the predictors for good prognosis, whereas the numbers of nucleotide differences and clone differences in HVR were not. Sustained responder patients became HCV‐RNA negative 2 weeks after starting the treatment at a significantly higher rate, whereas no non‐responder patients were HCV‐RNA negative at that time. The SR rate (32%) was equivalent to those reported in previous 24 week treatment studies. This IFN therapy using a higher dose and a shorter period was useful.