Navigation Links
Study shows positive findings in treating patients with advanced hepatitis C
Date:4/24/2008

MILAN, ITALY, April 24, 2008 The hepatitis C therapy peginterferon alfa-2b, when given as low-dose maintenance therapy, can prevent disease progression in certain patients who failed previous interferon-based hepatitis C therapies and have advanced liver disease, according to findings from a large, four-year study presented today at the 43rd annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

The study, called COPILOT (COlchicine versus Peg-Intron LOng-Term), showed that low-dose peginterferon alfa-2b was superior to colchicine in improving the disease-free survival of patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, especially in patients who stayed on treatment. In the study, more than 40 percent of patients had portal hypertension, a condition of high blood pressure in the major vessel going to the liver from the gastrointestinal tract and which often accompanies liver cirrhosis. However, peginterferon alfa-2b maintenance therapy was not superior to colchicine in patients overall.

These findings make a strong case for considering low-dose peginterferon alfa-2b as a maintenance therapy in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension who have failed hepatitis C eradication therapy, said principal investigator Nezam Afdhal, M.D., Chief of Hepatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. While other interferon maintenance therapies have been studied in the past few years in previous interferon nonresponders, these findings show, for the first time, a clinical benefit in a specific population with advanced disease, he said.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is transmitted through exposure to infected blood and affects an estimated 4 million individuals in the United States. The current standard treatment, combination therapy with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin for 24 to 48 weeks, can eradicate the virus in about 50 percent of pa
'/>"/>

Contact: Bonnie Prescott
bprescot@bidmc.harvard.edu
617-667-7306
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related medicine news :

1. Study finds racial disparities in smoking cessation treatment
2. Antipodean Pharmaceuticals Announces Results of Phase 2 Study of Lead Compound MitoQ(R)
3. Harvard Business School Publishes a Case Study on Robert Wessman and Actavis
4. Study finds that competency in colonoscopy requires experience with 150 cases or more
5. Study finds cisplatin less effective than standard treatment for patients with anal cancer
6. Potential viral therapy weapon for difficult cancers is safe and effective in study
7. Study: Counseling trauma victims causes secondary trauma
8. Rat study suggests why teens get hooked on cocaine more easily than adults
9. Study Shows Increased Out-of-Pocket Expenses May Negatively Influence Initiation of TNF Blocker Therapy
10. Teenage suicides: Study advocates greater family support
11. Cancer cells spread by releasing bubbles, according to an MUHC study
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Breaking Medicine Technology:Top 5 Global Spinal Implant Companies Maintaining Position but Competition Rising Rapidly 2Top 5 Global Spinal Implant Companies Maintaining Position but Competition Rising Rapidly 3Veran Medical Receives FDA Clearance to Market Electromagnetic Navigated Bronchoscopy Product: The SPiN Drive(TM) System 2RecoverCare Announces the Relocation of Corporate Headquarters to Louisville 2RecoverCare Announces the Relocation of Corporate Headquarters to Louisville 3Beyond sunlight 3A Explorers census 17 650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss 10854 1Beyond sunlight 3A Explorers census 17 650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss 10854 2Beyond sunlight 3A Explorers census 17 650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss 10854 3Beyond sunlight 3A Explorers census 17 650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss 10854 4Beyond sunlight 3A Explorers census 17 650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss 10854 5Beyond sunlight 3A Explorers census 17 650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss 10854 6Beyond sunlight 3A Explorers census 17 650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss 10854 7Beyond sunlight 3A Explorers census 17 650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss 10854 8Beyond sunlight 3A Explorers census 17 650 ocean species between edge of darkness and black abyss 10854 9New understanding about mechanism for cell death after stroke leads to possible therapy 10850 1New understanding about mechanism for cell death after stroke leads to possible therapy 10850 2Waterproof Cleanable Computer Keyboard Video Comparison Now Available on You Tube 61885 1Waterproof Cleanable Computer Keyboard Video Comparison Now Available on You Tube 61885 2