Search results for "INTERFERON-ALPHA"
showing 10 items of 211 documents
Acute hepatitis C: in search of the optimal approach to cure.
2006
Abstract IFN monotherapy for acute hepatitis C can be supported, but a strategy taking into account both baseline (clinical presentation, genotype, HIV coinfection) and early (spontaneous viral decay) virologic response should be developed from carefully conducted, controlled prospective studies comparing a “wait and see strategy”, and different schedules of PEG IFN monotherapy to optimize adherence and costs and to reduce the number needed to treat. The price of the ultimate success of therapy for AVH due to HCV, i.e. a stable and definitive clearance of HCV with no residual liver disease in the long term, should not be paid by a high number of patients who are treated needlessly.
Treatment of chronic hepatitis C
1991
alpha-Interferon given subcutaneously at doses between 1-3 million units leads to responses in about 50% of patients suffering from chronic hepatitis C. A 24-week treatment is frequently (approx. 50%) followed by relapses reducing the percentage of lasting responders to approx. 20%. The patients who relapse are sensitive to retreatment with interferon-alpha. A better understanding of HCV replication and of the interferon action in this viral disease might help to further improve treatment schedules. Side effects of interferon were frequently mild and readily reversible after cessation of treatment. At present interferon treatment should not be recommended in asymptomatic patients or individ…
New approaches in the treatment of Adamantiades-Behçet's disease.
2005
Purpose of review To update clinicians on the recent advances in the treatment of Adamantiades-Behcet's disease. Recent findings Interferon-α-2a and infliximab have proved able to induce prompt remission in the vast majority of Adamantiades-Behcet's patients with DMARD-resistant uveoretinitis. Efficacy of interferon-α-2a has also been reported for mucocutaneous lesions, arthritis, and (more anecdotally) for neuro-Behcet, while results from small case series suggest that infliximab is beneficial for mucocutaneous lesions and (more anecdotally) for arthritis and gastro-intestinal manifestations. Two cases of neuro-Behcet treated with infliximab showed a complete resolution. Finally, in a rand…
Combined 5-fluorouracil and recombinant alpha-2a-interferon vs. 5-fluorouracil alone in metastatic colorectal carcinoma: a multicenter randomized stu…
1991
The dilemma for patients with chronic hepatitis C: treat now or warehouse?
2013
Dual therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin, the only treatent for chronic hepatitis C available In Italy and in many other ountries worldwide up to 2013, obtains satisfactory response ates in infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2, but far rom optimal for other genotypes [1,2]. Eradication requires 6–12 onths of therapy, with significant inconvenience for patients: dverse reactions force premature termination in about 20% of atients and reduced the quality of life for almost all who persist n treatment. In view of the important and prolonged side effects, nterferon-based treatment is perceived as a nightmare by many symptomatic,well-being, socially activepatients (the largema…
Cost-effectiveness of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin with or without pegylated interferon for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in Italy.
2015
Objective:Across Italy up to 7.3% of the population is infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), with long-term complications resulting in high medical costs and significant morbidity and mortality. Current treatment options have limitations due to side effects, interferon intolerability and ineligibility, long treatment durations and low sustained virological response (SVR) rates, especially for the most severe patients). Sofosbuvir is the first nucleotide polymerase inhibitor with pan-genotypic activity. Sofosbuvir, administered with ribavirin (RBV) and with or without pegylated interferon (PEG-INF), resulted in >90% SVR across treatment-naïve (TN) genotype (GT) 1-6 patients. It is also t…
A decade of trials of interferon-alpha for chronic hepatitis C. A meta-regression analysis
2003
The most relevant randomized controlled trials of interferon-alpha (IFN) for naive patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) published in a decade, just before appearance of pegylated IFN trials in 2000, were included in this paper. Its purpose is to review the relationship between sustained biochemical response in active versus control group versus usual clinical variables as IFN regimens, cirrhosis, genotype and versus less frequently addressed variables as funding, methodological quality or location of principal author. Meta-analysis estimates of global treatment effect varied according to trial design: group 1=IFN versus placebo/no treatment, 32 RCTs, 2499 pts, OR 9.5 (6.3-14.2); group 2a…
Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in hemodialysis patients
2008
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is especially problematic in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are undergoing hemodialysis. Rates of HCV infection are higher among hemodialysis patients than in the general population, and several routes of transmission are thought to stem from the dialysis unit. Management of chronic hepatitis C is also more complicated in hemodialysis patients because of altered pharmacokinetics and a predisposition for drug-related toxicity, particularly ribavirin-induced anemia. Clinical trials of patients with chronic hepatitis C and healthy, functioning kidney grafts are rare because of the inherent dangers of graft rejection. As a result, most studies…
Chronic hepatitis C and interferon alpha: conventional and cumulative meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.
1999
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of surrogate markers of the interferon effect (i.e., alanine aminotransferase levels and serum HCV-RNA status) as predictors of long term response, and to identify the optimal schedule of treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis C by means of meta-analysis.Pertinent randomized clinical trials and prospective studies were selected using MEDLINE (1986-1996), a reference list from published articles or reviews. Twenty-six prospective studies reporting data on surrogate markers of interferon response were selected. Thirty-nine trials comparing interferon alpha to no treatment and 25 trials comparing different schedules of in…