@article{3084325,
    title = "A randomized trial to assess the efficacy of interferon-alpha daily in
combination with ribavirin in the treatment of naive patients with
chronic hepatitis C",
    author = "Tassopoulos, NC and Ketikoglou, I and Tsantoulas, D and Raptopoulou, M and and Hatzis, G and Vafiadis, I and Sidiropoulos, L and Kanatakis, S and and Anagnostopoulos, G and Sypsa, V and Hatzakis, A and Hellenic Viral and Hepatitis Res Netwo",
    journal = "Journal of Viral Hepatitis",
    year = "2003",
    volume = "10",
    number = "5",
    pages = "383-389",
    publisher = "Wiley",
    issn = "1352-0504, 1365-2893",
    doi = "10.1046/j.1365-2893.2003.00439.x",
    keywords = "chronic hepatitis C; daily interferon; interferon alpha; randomized
clinical trial; ribavirin",
    abstract = "A randomized trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of
interferon-alpha (IFN) daily in combination with ribavirin in 301 naive
patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Patients were randomized to
receive ribavirin 1.2 g daily (QD) for 48 weeks with either IFN 5 MU (
thrice weekly) TIW for 8 weeks followed by IFN 3 MU TIW for 40 weeks (
IFN TIW, n = 154) or IFN 5 MU QD for 8 weeks followed by IFN 3 MU QD for
16 weeks followed by IFN 3 MU TIW for 24 weeks ( IFN QD, n = 147).
Treatment discontinuation rates, because of adverse events, were similar
in the two arms (14.9% in IFN TIW and 14.3% in IFN QD, P = 0.87). The
proportion of patients with sustained virological response (SVR) was
27.9% for patients treated TIW and 38.8% for those treated QD (P =
0.046). According to logistic regression analysis, patients in the IFN
QD arm had 1.7 times higher probability of achieving SVR, than those
receiving IFN TIW (P = 0.038). Low baseline viral load (P = 0.017) and
genotype non-1 (P = 0.036) were associated with higher SVR rates.
Combination of IFN/ribavirin for 48 weeks is more effective when IFN is
administered daily for the first 24 weeks in naive patients with CHC."
}