Wednesday, May 31, 2006
CIFN Has Much Higher Biological Activity Than PegIFN
Unlike alfa and beta interferons, which are naturally occurring interferons, consensus interferon is a recombinant type 1 interferon that was derived by scanning sequences of naturally occurring alfa interferon and adding the most frequently observed amino acid in each corresponding position. As a result CIFN has much higher biological activity than pegIFN so it "adheres to the virus cell more tightly than pegIFN," said Dr. Kaiser.
Daily consensus interferon plus Rebetol (ribavirin) for 72 weeks produced sustained viral response in 70% of patients with chronic hepatitis C who became refractory to Rebetron (pegylated interferon alfa 2a plus ribavirin), according to a pilot study reported here.
CIFN was given as a daily injection (9 ìg) and pegIFN (180 ìg) was given once a week. Patients in both treatment arms received weight-based Rebetol. At the end of 72 weeks the viral response was confirmed in 89% of the patients in the CIFN arm and in 76% of patients treated with pegIFN (NS). Although the CIFN was generally well tolerated, there were more injection site reactions in the CIFN arm and there was slightly higher drop-out rate in the CIFN treatment group, 18% versus 12% for the pegIFN group. When you have this sustained viral response, that's a 99% chance of a cure," Dr. Vierling said. "That's very impressive." The next step, he said, would be to confirm the results in a larger study. http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Hepatitis/dh/3357
DDW: Relapsed HCV Patients Achieve Sustained Response with 72-Week Treatment
By Peggy Peck, MedPage Today Staff Writer
Reviewed by Rubeen K. Israni, M.D., Fellow, Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
May 22, 2006
MedPage Today Action Points
Explain to interested patients that these results were based on a small study and the findings need to be confirmed in a larger clinical trial. Explain to patients who ask that consensus interferon treatment requires daily injections. This study was published as an abstract and presented in a poster at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary as they have not yet been reviewed and published in a peer-reviewed publication
Review:Stephan Kaiser, M.D.
University of Tuebingen
LOS ANGELES, May 22 — Daily consensus interferon plus Rebetol (ribavirin) for 72 weeks produced sustained viral response in 70% of patients with chronic hepatitis C who became refractory to Rebetron (pegylated interferon alfa 2a plus ribavirin), according to a pilot study reported here. The findings, presented at Digestive Disease Week sessions, compared consensus interferon (CIFN) plus Rebetol with pegylated interferon alfa 2a (pegIFN) plus Rebetol in 81 patients who relapsed after 48 weeks of treatment with Rebetron and found that extending treatment to 72 weeks resulted in good response in both treatment arms, said Stephan Kaiser, M.D., of the University of Tuebingen in Germany. But sustained response was significantly better in the CIFN group with 69% of those patients remaining virus-free for at least four months after completing treatment, versus a 44% sustained viral response rate in the pegIFN arm (P<0.05).>
At the end of 72 weeks the viral response was confirmed in 89% of the patients in the CIFN arm and in 76% of patients treated with pegIFN (NS). Although the CIFN was generally well tolerated, there were more injection site reactions in the CIFN arm and there was slightly higher drop-out rate in the CIFN treatment group, 18% versus 12% for the pegIFN group. John Vierling, M.D., president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and professor of medicine at Baylor in Houston, was enthusiastic about the results. "When you have this sustained viral response, that's a 99% chance of a cure," Dr. Vierling said. "That's very impressive." The next step, he said, would be to confirm the results in a larger study. Unlike alfa and beta interferons, which are naturally occurring interferons, consensus interferon is a recombinant type 1 interferon that was derived by scanning sequences of naturally occurring alfa interferon and adding the most frequently observed amino acid in each corresponding position. As a result CIFN has much higher biological activity than pegIFN so it "adheres to the virus cell more tightly than pegIFN," said Dr. Kaiser. Dr. Kaiser said the study was investigator initiated and did not receive any industry support.
Primary source: Digestive Disease Week
Source reference: Kaiser, S et al "Comparison of Daily Consensus Interferon versus Peginterferon alfa 2a Extended Therapy of 72 Weeks for Peginterferon / Ribavirin Relapse Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C" Abstract S1060
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