How Effective Is Pegylated Interferon plus Ribavirin for HCV Genotype 1 Patients Over Age 50?
The prognosis of patients with chronic hepatitis C is influenced by viral factors such as HCV genotype and HCV RNA level, as well as patient factors such as age, sex, race, presence of cirrhosis, and adherence to therapy. The demographics of HCV infection have shifted in recent years, and an increasing number of chronic hepatitis C patients now in their 50’s. To assess the impact of age on sustained virological response (SVR) rates, researchers analyzed the data from 2 large phase III studies of pegylated interferon alfa-2a (Pegasys) plus ribavirin (Fried et al. NEJM 2002 and Hadziyannis et al. Ann Intern Med 2004). Results were reported at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Boston (November 2-6, 2007). The investigators included patients with HCV genotype 1 who were randomized to 48 weeks of treatment with 180 mcg/week Pegasys plus 1000-200 mg/day ribavirin. SVR was defined as undetectable HCV RNA by qualitative PCR 24 weeks after co
