BACKGROUND Serum vitamin D concentration is reported to show a decrease in older age. Patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Japan are older on average than those in Western countries. Moreover, the outcome of pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN)/ ribavirin therapy combined with vitamin D in elderly patients is unclear. OBJECTIVES This pilot study explored the efficacy and safety of alfacalcido...

The polar nucleoside drug ribavirin is front-line treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus infection. The human equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT) 1 transports ribavirin into erythrocytes where it is phosphorylated. These phosphorylated metabolites accumulate in the erythrocytes and produce dose-limiting hemolytic anemia. Here, we examined the in vitro and ex vivo transport and metabolis...

In The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Eric Lawitz and colleagues report results from their randomised phase 2 trial, in which they showed a more than 90% cure rate of hepatitis C in patients given a combination of pegylated interferon alfa-2a (peginterferon), ribavirin, and sofosbuvir, a novel nucleoside inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B polymerase. Among the 60 or so drugs under devel...

Chronic hepatitis C infection is a global health problem with 170 million patients infected. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of end stage liver disease. Current antiviral treatment options available are not optimal either regarding cure of disease or risk of side effects. The aim of the studies in this thesis was to investigate the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationsh...

The effects of intracellular ribavirin on morphology and redistribution of phosphatidylserine (PS) in human erythrocytes were examined. Erythrocytes were incubated with 1 mM ribavirin in the presence/absence of dipyridamole, an inhibitor of es-type nucleoside transporter. Intracellular ribavirin was accumulated in erythrocytes with the concentration of 1361 muM, which corresponds to the blood l...

BACKGROUND Although the addition of the HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitors boceprevir and telaprevir to pegylated interferon (peginterferon) alfa plus ribavirin has improved sustained virological response (SVR) in treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, the regimens have a high pill burden and are associated with increased rates and sever...

BACKGROUND At least 2.7 million Americans are infected with chronic hepatitis C. An increasing number are treated with interferon alfa plus ribavirin regimens. Not surprisingly, this immune stimulation is associated with the development of autoimmune and cutaneous diseases. Several cases of sarcoidosis have been reported with hepatitis C treatment, most recently in association with pegylated in...

The current standard of care for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection - combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin - elicits sustained responses in only ∼50% of the patients treated. No alternatives exist for patients who do not respond to combination therapy. Addition of ribavirin substantially improves response rates to interferon and lowers relapse rates following the cessation...