LYMPHOBLASTOID INTERFERON IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C PATIENTS WHO WERE NON RESPONDERS TO RECOMBINANT INTERFERON-ALPHA (RIFN-ALPHA)

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a variable r esponsiveness of the hepatitis C virus and/or of the affected host to different types of interferon. We treated 21 patients affected by chro nic hepatitis C who failed to respond to recombinant alpha interferon, after a four-month interval, with lymphoblastoid interferon. Alanine transaminase (ALT) serum level was normal in 9 patients (43%) at the e nd of treatment. At the end of a 12 months treatment-free follow-up se rum ALT remained normal in 3 patients, 4 patients relapsed and 2 dropp ed-out. As yet there are no reports of differences in the therapeutic efficacy of the two types of interferon used in our study. The good re sponse to the lymphoblastoid interferon in our non responders to recom binant alpha interferon may be due to the immune modulation induced by the four-month wash-out interval between the two therapies or to a di fferent virus sensitivity to this interferon.