ALPHA-AND-GAMMA-INTERFERON VERSUS ALPHA-INTERFERON ALONE IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS-B - A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-STUDY

Thirty-two patients with chronic hepatitis B were randomly assigned to two groups. Sixteen patients received 10 million units of alpha-inter feron per square meter of body surface (MU/m2), three times weekly for 4 months. Sixteen patients were treated simultaneously with gamma-int erferon at a dose of 2 MU/m2, and 10 MU/m2 of alpha-interferon. At the end of the study (13th month), hepatitis B virus DNA was negative in 50% of the patients treated with alpha-interferon and in only 25% of t hose treated with alpha- and gamma-interferon. A similar trend was obs erved with respect to the hepatitis B e antigen negativization (31% an d 19% of HBeAg negativization in patients treated with alpha- and gamm a-interferon, respectively). In summary, these data demonstrate that, at the doses used in this study, the combination of alpha- and gamma-i nterferon does not give better results than the administration of alph a-interferon alone. The tolerance to simultaneous alpha-and gamma-inte rferons is poor and may decompensate the liver disease.