FibroTest is an independent predictor of virologic response in chronic hepatitis C patients retreated with pegylated interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in the EPIC3 program

Background & Aims EPIC-3 is a prospective, international study that has demonstrated the efficacy of PEG-IFN alfa-2b plus weight-based ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C and significant fibrosis who previously failed any interferon–alfa/ribavirin therapy. The aim of the present study was to assess FibroTest (FT), a validated non-invasive marker of fibrosis in treatment-naive patients, as a possible alternative to biopsy as the baseline predictor of subsequent early virologic (EVR) and sustained virologic response (SVR) in previously treated patients. Methods Of 2312 patients enrolled, 1459 had an available baseline FT, biopsy, and complete data. Uni- (UV) and multi-variable (MV)…

Predicting sustained virological responses in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD)/ribavirin.

Background/Aims: Prediction of sustained virological response (SVR) during treatment would allow clinicians to identify patients most likely to benefit from therapy. Methods: Retrospective analysis of data from 1121 adults with chronic hepatitis C treated for 48 weeks with peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD) 180 mu g/week plus placebo or ribavirin (1000/1200 mg/day), or interferon alfa-2b 3 MIU three times/week plus ribavirin in a randomized, multinational, study. Results: 67% of patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD)/ribavirin with early virological responses (HCV RNA negative or >= 2 log(10) decrease) at week 12 had SVRs at week 72 (HCV RNA 80 % of the planned ribavirin dose. Concl…

Corrigendum to: “FibroTest is an independent predictor of virologic response in chronic hepatitis C patients retreated with pegylated interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in the EPIC3 program” [J Hepatol 2011;54:227–235]

The case for simplifying and using absolute targets for viral hepatitis elimination goals

The 69th World Health Assembly endorsed the Global Health Sector Strategy for Viral Hepatitis, embracing a goal to eliminate hepatitis infection as a public health threat by 2030. This was followed by the World Health Organization's (WHO) global targets for the care and management of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. These announcements and targets were important in raising awareness and calling for action; however, tracking countries’ progress towards these elimination goals has provided insights to the limitations of these targets. The existing targets compare a country's progress relative to its 2015 values, penalizing countries who started their programmes …

Peginterferon Alfa-2a plus Ribavirin for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Background Treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a alone produces significantly higher sustained virologic responses than treatment with interferon alfa-2a alone in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We compared the efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin, interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin, and peginterferon alfa-2a alone in the initial treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Methods A total of 1121 patients were randomly assigned to treatment and received at least one dose of study medication, consisting of 180 μg of peginterferon alfa-2a once weekly plus daily ribavirin (1000 or 1200 mg, depending on body weight), weekly peginterferon alfa-2a plus daily pl…