July 3, 2000

Treatment with interferon-alpha and ribavirin apparently results in long-lasting elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA from serum and liver, French researchers report in the July 1st issue of The Lancet.

Dr. Stanislas Pol and colleagues from Hospital Necker, Paris, France, collected data on 45 patients who had undergone standard treatment for hepatitis C. They wanted to know if a negative test for HCV 6 months after the end of treatment was predictive of sustained recovery.

In addition to serum analysis, the group analyzed liver biopsy samples from five patients tested before and after treatment and from another five patients tested after treatment. All the patients were followed for at least 12 months from the end of treatment.

"After 12 months, serum HCV RNA was still negative and alanine aminotransferase concentrations were normal in all except one patient....HCV RNA was negative by PCR in all 10 liver biopsy samples after therapy," Dr. Pol's team reports.

Their results indicate to the researchers that "a virological response at the sixth month after discontinuation of a combination of interferon-alpha and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C is predictive of a 97.8% rate of long-term complete (biochemical and virological) response."