BACKGROUND Subcutaneous peginterferon beta-1a has previously been shown to reduce the number of T2-hyperintense and gadolinium-enhancing (Gd+) lesions over 2 years in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), and to reduce T1-hypointense lesion formation and the proportion of patients showing evidence of disease activity, based on both clinical and radiological measures, comp...

BACKGROUND In patients with chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, treatment with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin for 48 weeks results in rates of sustained virologic response of 40 to 50%. Telaprevir is a specific inhibitor of the HCV serine protease and could be of value in HCV treatment. METHODS A total of 334 patients who had chronic infection with HCV genotype 1 and ...

C infections with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) represent a major global health problem, with around 170 million patients at risk of developing life-threatening complications such as liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. The standard treatment of care is a combination of weekly pegylated interferon (peginterferon) alfa and daily ribavirin for 24-72 weeks, dependent on HCV genotype and the ...

In immuno-competent individuals, the natural course of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly variable and 5%-30% of patients develop cirrhosis over 20 years. Co-infection with HCV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an important prognostic factor and associated with more frequent and accelerated progression to cirrhosis. Until recently HIV/AIDS-related complications were lif...

BACKGROUND In patients with chronic hepatitis C who do not have a response to antiviral treatment, the disease may progress to cirrhosis, liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death. Whether long-term antiviral therapy can prevent progressive liver disease in such patients remains uncertain. METHODS We conducted a randomized, controlled trial of peginterferon alfa-2a at a dosage of 90 ...

INTRODUCTION Boceprevir was not previously studied with peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin in phase III trials in treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis C patients. The international phase IIIb/IV TriCo study was, therefore, designed to evaluate boceprevir in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin in treatment-naïve genotype 1 patients. METHODS A total of 165 treatment-naïve genotype 1 pati...

UNLABELLED Computer-assisted morphometry can provide precise measurement of hepatic fibrosis on a continuous scale. Previous morphometric studies of large cohorts of patients with treatment refractory chronic hepatitis C have shown a mean increase in fibrosis of 30% to 58% in 1 year. The aim of the present study was to quantify fibrosis progression in biopsy specimens obtained over 1.5 to 5 yea...

A dynamic equilibrium between viral production and clearance characterizes untreated chronic hepatitis C viral infection. After initiating antiviral treatment, a typical multiphasic decay of viremia can be observed and analyzed using mathematical models. To elucidate the antiviral mechanism of ribavirin when used in combination with (pegylated) interferon alfa, we investigated kinetic parameter...

Chronically hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects about 180 million people worldwide and it is a major cause of serious liver disease. As sustained virological response (SVR) to anti-HCV therapy avoids progression of liver fibrosis, decreases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and improve the survival of patients, antiviral therapy is considered as a crucial option in the management of chronic HCV ...

The emergence of new and more potent treatment options has markedly changed the treatment landscape of chronic hepatitis B. Both peginterferon and nucleos(t)ide analogues have considerable advantages and limitations, and current treatment guidelines refrain from clearly suggesting a first-line treatment option. Peginterferon offers the advantage of higher sustained response rates in both hepati...