Long-term efficacy of treatment of chronic hepatitis C with alpha interferon or alpha interferon and ribavirin

The major objective of treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infecti on is to prevent progression to cirrhosis, and thereby prevent complication s of end-stage liver disease. The established treatment of chronic HCV is w ith alpha interferon, Recent results with ribavirin and alpha interferon to gether suggest that combination antiviral therapy will become the benchmark treatment. For both naive and relapsed patients, however, it has become im portant to assess the long-term outcome of treatment, in order to gauge whe ther treatment has indeed modified the natural history of chronic hepatitis C virus infection. It seems likely that most sustained responders (85-90%) treated with combination ribavirin and alpha interferon will continue to h ave a long-term biochemical and virological response, as has been demonstra ted with alpha interferon alone, but further long-term follow-up of patient s treated with combination therapy is required.