Review
Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. May 7, 2006; 12(17): 2730-2736
Published online May 7, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i17.2730
Is interferon-beta an alternative treatment for chronic hepatitis C
Ricardo Moreno-Otero, María Trapero-Marugán, Elena Gómez-Domínguez, Luisa García-Buey, JoséA Moreno-Monteagudo
Ricardo Moreno-Otero, María Trapero-Marugán, Elena Gómez-Domínguez, Luisa García-Buey, JoséA Moreno-Monteagudo, Unit of Hepatology, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
Supported by grants C 03/02 from Instituto de Salud Carlos III and SAF 2001-1414 from Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología
Correspondence to: Ricardo Moreno-Otero, Unidad de Hepatología, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa. C/ Diego de León 62, E-2806-Madrid, Spain. rmoreno.hlpr@salud.madrid.org
Telephone: +34-91-3093911 Fax: +34-91-4022299
Received: January 31, 2006
Revised: February 8, 2006
Accepted: February 18, 2006
Published online: May 7, 2006
Abstract

The treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is still far from optimal, particularly for those subpopulations that do not respond to the standard combination therapy with Interferon-α (IFNα) plus ribavirin. Although in some cases the use of higher doses or longer treatment periods may be effective, these approaches are generally associated with a higher incidence of adverse events, which may either lead to a reduction in patient compliance or require drug withdrawal. IFNβ could represent an interesting alternative for treating CHC patients. Controversial data about IFNβ efficacy in CHC exist, the main reason being that many results stem from pilot studies with small cohorts of patients. However, promising results have been obtained in some subgroups of patients that fail to respond to IFNα. Additionally, the good tolerability of IFNβ represents an important advantage of the drug. The rates of dropouts in controlled clinical trials, as well as the need for dose reductions or treatment discontinuation are very low. It might be worth assessing the value of IFNβ plus ribavirin in randomized studies with a larger cohort of patients, not eligible or not tolerating standard therapy, and for non-responders.

Keywords: Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C virus; Interferon beta; Ribavirin