Khavir A. Sharieff, DO Inova Transplant Center at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA
David Duncan, MD Department of Medicine at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA
Zobair Younossi, MD, MPH Center for Liver Diseases, Inova Transplant Center and Department of Medicine at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA
Address: Zobair M. Younossi, MD, MPH, Center for Liver Diseases, Inova Fairfax Hospital, 3300 Gallows Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042; e-mail: zobiar.younossi@inova.com
Dr. Younossi has indicated that he has received grant or research support from the Roche and Schering-Plough corporations and is on the speakers’ bureaus of the Axcan Pharma, Roche, and Schering-Plough corporations.
This paper discusses therapies that are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use under discussion.
ABSTRACTNew regimens consisting of pegylated interferons plus ribavirin may produce a sustained virologic response in more than 50% of cases of chronic hepatitis C. In contrast, the combination of standard interferon alfa and ribavirin, which was the standard of care until recently, produced a sustained virologic response in 35% to 40% of cases. As the efficacy of newer regimens improves, additional steps to adequately manage their side effects and maximize adherence may become crucial.
