[A comparative randomized controlled study of the efficacy of interferon alfa-2b and interferon alfa-2a in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C].

Interferon (INF) is the treatment of choice in active chronic hepatitis C although the optimum therapeutic schedule remains undefined to date. One forty-eight patients with active chronic hepatitis C were included in a randomized controlled study to compare the therapeutic efficacy of 2 types of recombinant alpha IFN: alpha-2b IFN and alpha-2a IFN. Twelve patients were excluded from the study for different reasons. The groups were made up of 34 untreated patients (group I), 68 patients treated with 5 MU of alpha-2b IFN three times per week for 12 months (group II) and 32 patients with 6 MU of alpha-2a IFN three times per week for one year (group III). On finalization of the treatment 39 patients from group II (57%) and 20 (63%) from group III showed normal transaminases (p > 0.05) while this was not so in any patient from group I (p < 0.001). HCV infection of less than 5 years was significantly associated with complete biochemical response. During the post treatment follow up (16.2 +/- 11.1 months; range: 6-45 months) the transaminase levels reelevated in 26 (67%) responding patients from group II and in 12 (60%) patients from group III (p > 0.05). Therefore complete biochemical response was maintained in only 12 (19%) of the patients from group II and in 8 (25%) of the patients from group III (p > 0.05). Liver biopsy was carried out in the 3 post treatment months in 15 patients from group I, 29 from group II and 18 patients from group III with all the rebiopsied patients from groups II and III having demonstrated complete or partial response to IFN.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)