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The combination therapy of interferon and amantadine hydrochloride for patients with chronic hepatitis C.
- Source :
-
Hepato-gastroenterology [Hepatogastroenterology] 2003 Jan-Feb; Vol. 50 (49), pp. 222-6. - Publication Year :
- 2003
-
Abstract
- Background/aims: The effect of interferon treatment for chronic hepatitis C patients with genotype 1b virus has been suboptimal. We studied the effect of the combination therapy of interferon and amantadine on patients with a high serum viral load of genotype 1b virus.<br />Methodology: We studied the virological response of naive chronic hepatitis C patients with a high viral load of genotype 1b virus (4.5 log copies/50 microL or 100 kcopies/mL and higher) during interferon and amantadine administration for 6 months and 6 months after the end of treatment. Twenty patients were treated with interferon alone (natural interferon-beta 6 MU daily for 6 weeks and thrice-a-week for 20 weeks) for 26 weeks. Eleven patients were treated with the combination therapy of interferon and amantadine hydrochloride (100 mg orally daily) for 26 weeks.<br />Results: After daily administration of interferon-beta intravenously once a day for 6 weeks, all patients showed the negative tests of serum HCV-RNA by polymerase-chain-reaction methods by the combination therapy, while 13 patients (65.0%) showed the negative tests by interferon alone (p = 0.0257). At the end of treatment, serum HCV-RNA were not detected in 54.5% of patients treated with interferon and amantadine, while it was detected in 50.0% of patients treated with interferon alone. At 6 months follow-up, only one patient (9.1%) could eradicate HCV-RNA in patients with interferon and amantadine, while no patient could with interferon monotherapy (not significantly).<br />Conclusions: Amantadine hydrochloride has the additive effects to interferon treatment on the virological responses of serum HCV-RNA during a co-administration, although the combination therapy has not shown a significantly promising effect on the eradication of HCV-RNA in the patients with chronic hepatitis C with a high viral load of genotype 1b virus.
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Drug Therapy, Combination
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Hepacivirus drug effects
Hepacivirus genetics
Hepatitis C, Chronic genetics
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Time Factors
Viral Load
Amantadine administration & dosage
Amantadine therapeutic use
Antiviral Agents administration & dosage
Antiviral Agents therapeutic use
Hepatitis C, Chronic drug therapy
Interferon-beta administration & dosage
Interferon-beta therapeutic use
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0172-6390
- Volume :
- 50
- Issue :
- 49
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Hepato-gastroenterology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 12630027