Comparative responses to three different types of interferon-alpha in patients with chronic hepatitis C

We investigated the efficacy and tolerability of three different types of i nterferon-alpha, administered with the same schedule to naive patients with chronic hepatitis C. One hundred and seven patients with histologically proven chronic hepatitis C were enrolled during a period of three years and randomly divided into t hree groups, to receive (a) leukocyte-interferon-alpha 6MU three times a we ek for 4 months, followed by 3 MU three times a week for 8 months (Group I) ; (b) recombinant-IFN-alpha-2a, with the same schedule (Group II); and (c) lymphoblastoid-IFN-alpha-N1, with the same schedule (Group III). All patien ts were followed-up far 6 months to evaluate the long-term response. The 'Complete Response' rates at the end of treatment were: 50% 46.1 % and 41.6%, in Groups I, II and III, respectively; most patients relapsed after the end of therapy, so that the 'sustained responders' were, after 6 months of follow-up, 18.7%, 23.1 % and 19.4%, respectively. Analysis of pre-treat ment variables showed that gamma GT serum levels, as well as the prevalence of liver cirrhosis, were lower in responder' group. Four patients were eliminated from the study because of severe adverse even ts: 1, 2 and I, in Groups I, II and III, respectively. Our results indicate a similar response rate with the three different types of interferon-alpha, although at baseline, age, serum levels of gamma glob ulins and the number of patients with cirrhosis-possible negative-risk fact ors, were higher in Group I.