Maintenance therapy with ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C who fail to respond to combination therapy with interferon alfa and ribavirin

• Published in: Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.) Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 66 - 74
• Main Authors: Hoofnagle, Jay H., Ghany, Marc G., Kleiner, David E., Doo, Edward, Heller, Theo, Promrat, Kittichai, Ong, Janus, Khokhar, Farooq, Soza, Alejandro, Herion, David, Park, Yoon, Everhart, James E., Liang, T.Jake
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Elsevier Inc 01.07.2003; W.B. Saunders; Wiley
• Subjects: Antiviral Agents - administration & dosage; Antiviral Agents - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy; Double-Blind Method; Drug Resistance, Viral; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Hepacivirus - drug effects; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy; Hepatitis C, Chronic - pathology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Interferon-alpha - administration & dosage; Interferon-alpha - adverse effects; Liver - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Ribavirin - administration & dosage; Ribavirin - adverse effects; RNA, Viral - analysis; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis; Human; Drug combination; Alpha interferon; Hepatic disease; Ribavirin; Infection; Chemotherapy; Chronic; Viral disease; Maintenance treatment; Digestive diseases; Nucleosidic analog; Viral hepatitis C

To assess the efficacy and safety of maintenance therapy with ribavirin alone in chronic hepatitis C, 108 patients were treated with the combination of interferon alfa and ribavirin for 24 weeks; those who failed to have a virologic response were offered enrollment in a randomized, double-blind, con...