Two doses of PegIntron a week needed for HCV suppression say Austrians

Michael Carter
Estimated reading time 2 minutes
This article is more than 21 years old.

Twice-weekly doses of pegylated interferon alfa-2b are need to achieve adequate suppression of hepatitis C virus (HCV) according to a small study published in the July 2003 edition of the Journal of Viral Hepatitis.

The currently recommended dose of Schering Plough's pegylated interferon formulation (PegIntronTM) for HCV infection is a single injection of 1 mcg/kg per week. The drug can be used by itself or in combination with ribavirin. The recommended standard of care for individuals coinfected with HIV is a dual therapy consisting of pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

In a four week study, investigators at the University of Vienna randomised 20 patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 who had never received interferon therapy to receive either the standard once-weekly dose of pegylated interferon or twice weekly injections of the drug and evaluated after four weeks. Serum concentrations of interferon were then checked, as was the impact of the drug on HCV viral load.

Glossary

pegylated interferon

Pegylated interferon, also known as peginterferon, is a chemically modified form of the standard interferon, sometimes used to treat hepatitis B and C. The difference between interferon and peginterferon is the PEG, which stands for a molecule called polyethylene glycol. The PEG does nothing to fight the virus. But by attaching it to the interferon (which does fight the virus), the interferon will stay in the blood much longer. 

serum

Clear, non-cellular portion of the blood, containing antibodies and other proteins and chemicals.

 

interferon alfa

A natural protein produced by the human body in response to infection. Manufactured interferon alfa is a treatment against hepatitis B, hepatitis C, genital warts and some cancers. See also ‘pegylated interferon’ – this is the form of the most commonly used drug.

formulation

The physical form in which a drug is manufactured or administered. Examples of formulations include tablets, capsules, powders, and oral and injectable solutions. A drug may be available in multiple formulations.

standard of care

Treatment that experts agree is appropriate, accepted, and widely used for a given disease or condition. In a clinical trial, one group may receive the experimental intervention and another group may receive the standard of care.

Amongst the ten patients who received once-weekly injections, serum levels of pegylated interferon reached maximum levels 24 hours after the drug was injected, and then declined over subsequent days, with the drug undetectable in the serum of 90% on the day before the next dose.

However, amongst the ten patients treated with twice-weekly injections, the drug was detectable at any point and in higher concentrations than that seen in the individuals on once-weekly therapy (p between 0.1 and

Hepatitis C viral load fell within 24 hours of receiving an injection of pegylated interferon in all patients, but started to rebound within three days. This rebound was suppressed in the ten patients who received a second weekly dose (p

The investigators concluded that HCV viral load increased in parallel with serum levels of pegylated interferon, “clearly indicating that this rebound of HCV RNA is because of insufficient interferon levels in the body. This rebound may be predictive of nonresponse…to therapy.”

Further information on this website

Pegylated interferon in HIV/HCV coinfection

References

Formann E et al. Twice-weekly administration of peginterferon-alpha-2b improves viral kinetics in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1. Journal of Viral Hepatitis 10, 271, 2003.

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