Combination therapy of pegylated interferon-α with ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) is a standard of care for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The majority of CHC patients are infected with HCV genotype I. The recent discovery revealed by a genome-wide association study technology provides the important role of interleukin-28B (IL28B) and inosine triphosphatase (ITPA) in HCV infection. In addition, response t...

BACKGROUND Polymorphisms near the IL28B gene have been proposed to be strongly associated with treatment response and the rate of spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus infection, and treatment response of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In this study, we aimed to determine whether these polymorphisms could affect natural courses of HBV infection. METHODS Genetic variations were identi...

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the IL28B locus are associated with a positive response to pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin (pegIFN-alpha/RBV) treatment of HCV-infected patients. This study evaluated the association between SNPs rs12980275, rs12979860 and rs8099917 and treatment outcome of HCV recurrent infection in HCV-positive patients who underwent liver transplant. We aime...

We examined the association between IL28B single-nucleotide polymorphism rs12979860, hepatitis C virus (HCV) kinetic, and pegylated interferon alpha-2a pharmacodynamic parameters in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients from South America. Twenty-six subjects received pegylated interferon alpha-2a + ribavirin. Serum HCV-RNA and interferon concentrations were measured frequently during the first 12 weeks ...

Background/Aims The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of simeprevir-based triple therapy with reduced doses of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin for interferon (IFN) ineligible patients, such as elderly and/or cirrhotic patients, and to elucidate the factors contributing to a sustained virologic response (SVR). Methods One hundred IFN ineligible patients infec...

BACKGROUND Ribavirin blood levels vary considerably between patients with standard weight-based dosing. Their impact on sustained virological response (SVR) with pegylated interferon and ribavirin is controversial, but has mostly been studied before the IL28b gene polymorphism as a possible confounder was discovered. METHODS The impact of serum ribavirin trough levels at week 4, at the end of...

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms upstream of the interleukin 28B (interferon λ3) gene (IL28B) strongly influence treatment efficacy in patients carrying hepatitis C virus (HCV) of genotype 1. In patients receiving 12 or 24 weeks of interferon-ribavirin therapy for infection with genotype 2 or 3 (n = 341), we found that rs12979860 strikingly determined the first phase of viral elimination (P < .0...

Co-infections with HCV and HIV are common, because both viruses share routes of transmission and establish chronic infections. The standard treatment for chronic hepatitis C, a combination of peginterferon-a and ribavirin, is poorly tolerated and only successful in about half of the treated patients. Thus, identification of accurate predictors of treatment response is highly desirable. Several ...