TY - JOUR
T1 - Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of consensus interferon monotherapy with high-dose induction for hepatitis C patients with genotype 2
AU - Iwasaki, Yoshiaki
AU - Tanaka, Hironori
AU - Ikeada, Hiroshi
AU - Okamoto, Ryo Ichi
AU - Araki, Yasuyuki
AU - Yabushita, Kazuhisa
AU - Kobashi, Haruhiko
AU - Kariyama, Kazuya
AU - Kawaguchi, Mitsuhiko
AU - Takaguchi, Kouichi
AU - Sakata, Tatsuro
AU - Ando, Masaharu
AU - Sakaguchi, Kohsaku
AU - Aoki, Noriaki
AU - Shiratori, Yasushi
PY - 2011/1
Y1 - 2011/1
N2 - Objective. Several treatment strategies for patients with chronic hepatitis C have been compared mainly in terms of their efficacy, and it has been found that pegylated interferon (IFN) plus ribavirin has become the standard therapy, but aged patients may not tolerate ribavirin and the cost-effectiveness of treatment should also be further considered. We conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of consensus IFN monotherapy with high-dose induction for patients with chronic hepatitis C in clinical practice. Material and Methods. We consecutively enrolled 104 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Patients were scheduled to receive 12 or 18 μg of consensus IFN daily for 2 weeks, then three times a week for 22 weeks. Efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness were assessed. A Markov model was developed to investigate cost-effectiveness in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated by different IFN-based treatment strategies. Results. Of the 104 study patients, a sustained virological response (SVR) was achieved in 66 (63%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that genotype 2, lower hepatitis C virus RNA levels, and patient age were independently associated with SVR. The response rate was significantly higher in patients with genotype 2 (51/66, 77%) versus genotype 1 (15/38, 40%). Cost-effectiveness analysis in patients with genotype 2 revealed that high-dose induction with consensus IFN monotherapy was as highly cost-effective as pegylated IFN plus ribavirin. Conclusion. Consensus IFN monotherapy with high-dose induction shows high efficacy and cost-effectiveness in chronic hepatitis C patients with genotype 2 infection. Thus, it may be a reliable alternative in aged patients and for those excluded from standard combination therapy.
AB - Objective. Several treatment strategies for patients with chronic hepatitis C have been compared mainly in terms of their efficacy, and it has been found that pegylated interferon (IFN) plus ribavirin has become the standard therapy, but aged patients may not tolerate ribavirin and the cost-effectiveness of treatment should also be further considered. We conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of consensus IFN monotherapy with high-dose induction for patients with chronic hepatitis C in clinical practice. Material and Methods. We consecutively enrolled 104 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Patients were scheduled to receive 12 or 18 μg of consensus IFN daily for 2 weeks, then three times a week for 22 weeks. Efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness were assessed. A Markov model was developed to investigate cost-effectiveness in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated by different IFN-based treatment strategies. Results. Of the 104 study patients, a sustained virological response (SVR) was achieved in 66 (63%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that genotype 2, lower hepatitis C virus RNA levels, and patient age were independently associated with SVR. The response rate was significantly higher in patients with genotype 2 (51/66, 77%) versus genotype 1 (15/38, 40%). Cost-effectiveness analysis in patients with genotype 2 revealed that high-dose induction with consensus IFN monotherapy was as highly cost-effective as pegylated IFN plus ribavirin. Conclusion. Consensus IFN monotherapy with high-dose induction shows high efficacy and cost-effectiveness in chronic hepatitis C patients with genotype 2 infection. Thus, it may be a reliable alternative in aged patients and for those excluded from standard combination therapy.
KW - Chronic hepatitis C
KW - Consensus interferon
KW - Cost-effectiveness
KW - Genotype 2
KW - High-dose induction
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U2 - 10.3109/00365521.2010.516449
DO - 10.3109/00365521.2010.516449
M3 - Article
C2 - 20822376
AN - SCOPUS:78651356512
SN - 0036-5521
VL - 46
SP - 79
EP - 90
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology
IS - 1
ER -
