Retreatment of Dialysis Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C With Pegylated Interferon Alfa-2a Plus Low Dose Ribavirin

Summary

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is common in dialysis patients. Interferon (IFN)-based treatment for chronic hepatitis C has been the mainstay therapy in immunocompetent patients. Two meta-analyses evaluating the efficacy and safety of conventional IFN alfa monotherapy showed that the sustained virologic response (SVR) rates were 37% and 33%, respectively; and the corresponding dropout rates were 17% and 29.6%, respectively. The efficacy and safety of pegylated IFN alfa-2a and 2b in treating dialysis patients showed conflicting results, with a more favorable outcome of patients treated with pegylated IFN alfa-2a (135-180 μg/week: SVR 33-75%, well tolerated) than those treated with pegylated IFN alfa-2b (0.5-1.0 μg/week: SVR 12.5%, poorly tolerated), Currently, IFN-based therapy to treatment HCV infection should be initiated in dialysis stages, because the use of IFN in RT patients harbors high risks of acute graft rejection,and have low response rates under the concomitant use of immunosuppressive agents. Ribavirin, which has been used in combination with IFN to treat chronic hepatitis C in the general patients and achieve a higher SVR rate than IFN monotherapy, is considered contraindicated in dialysis patients with chronic hepatitis C due to the risk of severe hemolytic anemia. However, some pilot studies evaluating combined conventional IFN alfa plus low dose ribavirin (170-300 mg/day) showed SVR rates of 17%-66% after 24-48 weeks of treatment.In addition, a recent study including 6 patients with combination of pegylated IFN alfa plus low dose ribavirin also showed a SVR rate of 50%. Although dialysis patients have a higher SVR rate to conventional IFN or pegylated IFN monotherapy than patients with normal renal function for HCV therapy. More than half of these patients are relapsers or non-responders to IFN monotherapy. Retreatment of HCV-patients with normal renal function by combined pegylated IFN alfa plus ribavirin who fail to response to IFN monotherapy has achieved a SVR rate of 28%. Based on the long-term favorable outcome in dialysis patients who eradicate HCV, the aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of retreatment by pegylated IFN alfa-2a plus low dose ribavirin in dialysis patients who fail to achieve HCV eradication by conventional or pegylated IFN alfa.

Timeline

Start

2006-06

Primary completion

2008-06

Completion

2008-07

Publications

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• Background Fabrizi F, Dulai G, Dixit V, Bunnapradist S, Martin P. Meta-analysis: interferon for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in dialysis patients. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2003 Dec;18(11-12):1071-81. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2036.2003.01780.x.
• Background Russo MW, Goldsweig CD, Jacobson IM, Brown RS Jr. Interferon monotherapy for dialysis patients with chronic hepatitis C: an analysis of the literature on efficacy and safety. Am J Gastroenterol. 2003 Jul;98(7):1610-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2003.07526.x.
• Background Kokoglu OF, Ucmak H, Hosoglu S, Cetinkaya A, Kantarceken B, Buyukbese MA, Isik IO. Efficacy and tolerability of pegylated-interferon alpha-2a in hemodialysis patients with chronic hepatitis C. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2006 Mar;21(3):575-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2005.04008.x.
• Background Sporea I, Popescu A, Sirli R, Golea O, Totolici C, Danila M, Vernic C. Pegylated-interferon alpha 2a treatment for chronic hepatitis C in patients on chronic haemodialysis. World J Gastroenterol. 2006 Jul 14;12(26):4191-4. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i26.4191.
• Background Chan TM, Ho SK, Tang CS, Tse KC, Lam MF, Lai KN, Yung S. Pilot study of pegylated interferon-alpha 2a in dialysis patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Nephrology (Carlton). 2007 Feb;12(1):11-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1797.2006.00662.x.
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• Background Casanovas-Taltavull T, Baliellas C, Benasco C, Serrano TT, Casanova A, Perez JL, Guerrero L, Gonzalez MT, Andres E, Gil-Vernet S, Casais LA. Efficacy of interferon for chronic hepatitis C virus-related hepatitis in kidney transplant candidates on hemodialysis: results after transplantation. Am J Gastroenterol. 2001 Apr;96(4):1170-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1572-0241.2001.03697.x.
• Background Mousa DH, Abdalla AH, Al-Shoail G, Al-Sulaiman MH, Al-Hawas FA, Al-Khader AA. Alpha-interferon with ribavirin in the treatment of hemodialysis patients with hepatitis C. Transplant Proc. 2004 Jul-Aug;36(6):1831-4. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2004.07.025.
• Background Bruchfeld A, Stahle L, Andersson J, Schvarcz R. Ribavirin treatment in dialysis patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection--a pilot study. J Viral Hepat. 2001 Jul;8(4):287-92. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2893.2001.00300.x.
• Background Bruchfeld A, Stahle L, Andersson J, Schvarcz R. Interferon and ribavirin therapy in dialysis patients with chronic hepatitis C. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2001 Aug;16(8):1729. doi: 10.1093/ndt/16.8.1729. No abstract available.
• Background Bruchfeld A, Lindahl K, Reichard O, Carlsson T, Schvarcz R. Pegylated interferon and ribavirin treatment for hepatitis C in haemodialysis patients. J Viral Hepat. 2006 May;13(5):316-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2005.00680.x.
• Background Shiffman ML, Di Bisceglie AM, Lindsay KL, Morishima C, Wright EC, Everson GT, Lok AS, Morgan TR, Bonkovsky HL, Lee WM, Dienstag JL, Ghany MG, Goodman ZD, Everhart JE; Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis Trial Group. Peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C who have failed prior treatment. Gastroenterology. 2004 Apr;126(4):1015-23; discussion 947. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2004.01.014.

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