Low- and standard-dose peginterferon alfa-2a for chronic hepatitis C, genotype 2 or 3: Efficacy, tolerability, viral kinetics and cytokine response

Background Chronic infection with hepatitis C, genotype 2/3, responds better than other genotypes to peginterferon and ribavirin treatment. We hypothesized that a lower dose of peginterferon would be as effective, but less toxic than standard doses. Aim To test the hypothesis that a lower dose of peginterferon would be as effective as, but less toxic than, standard doses. Methods A total of 30 patients were treated with low-dose peginterferon alfa-2a (90 μg/week) and 27 patients with standard doses (180 μg/week) for 24 weeks in combination with 800 mg/day of ribavirin. Patients who failed treatment were offered 48 weeks of standard-dose treatment. Viral and serum inducible protein 10 (IP-10) levels were measured and early viral kinetic parameters were calculated. Results Sustained virological response was achieved in 68% of the low-dose and 87% of the standard-dose patients (per protocol, P = 0.79 for non-inferiority). Re-treatment was successful in all patients who tolerated full dose and duration. The standard-dose group had greater first-phase declines of viral levels and faster time to negativity. The second-phase slope was not dose-dependent. IP-10 induction was significantly greater with the standard dose. Although fatigue and general feeling during treatment were worse for standard dose, haematological toxicity and depression did not differ between groups. Conclusion A lower dose of peginterferon is associated with some symptomatic benefit, but the response is not equivalent to standard dosing.