Treatment of HCV Infection with Pegylated Interferons

摘要

The past decade has seen advances in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection. Therapy with interferon alpha was disappointing, with only 15% of patients achieving long-term viral clearance. Combination therapy with interferon alpha and ribavirin therapy more than doubled sustained virologic response (SVR) rates. The pegylated interferons are a recent development that have improved the outlook for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). Pegylated interferons are produced by the binding of polyethylene glycol to interferon alpha, which results in a compound with improved pharmacokinetic properties with increased efficacy. Combination therapy with pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin is the optimal treatment for chronic HCV infection. Up to 80% of patients with genotype 2/3 infection and up to 50% of patients with genotype I infection achieve SVR with treatment. For the first time, the majority of patients with chronic HCV who are treated can anticipate a long-term cure.