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PEG-INTRON Monotherapy
PEG-INTRON®, when used alone for the
treatment of chronic hepatitis C, is usually
prescribed once a week for one year. |
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PEG-INTRON® (peginterferon alfa-2b) Powder for Injection, when used alone for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, is usually prescribed once a week for one year. When used as monotherapy, PEG-INTRON® has been proven in clinical studies to be twice as effective (24% vs. 12%) as INTRON® A (Interferon alfa-2b, recombinant) for Injection, in terms of the percentage of patients who had their viral load reduced to undetectable levels 6 months after treatment.*
During treatment, your doctor will carefully follow viral levels and do other tests to see if your liver is getting better with treatment.
A successful course of therapy with PEG-INTRON® may provide you with a period of remission and a lower risk of developing cirrhosis and/or liver cancer. Therefore, it is very important that you follow your treatment plan as long as it takes to see if you are improving. Follow-up with your doctor is also very important. Even if you have no sign of the virus in your body at the end of treatment, you may suffer a relapse (your infection may return). If this happens, you may need another course of therapy.
PEG-INTRON® is indicated for use alone or in combination with REBETOL® (Ribavirin, USP) Capsules for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in patients not previously treated with interferon alpha who have compensated liver disease and are at least 18 years of age. For information on combination therapy with PEG-INTRON® and REBETOL®, see About PEG-INTRON/REBETOL Combination Therapy.
* Randomized study comparing treatment with PEG-INTRON® (0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mcg/kg QW SC) to treatment with INTRON® A (3 MIU TIW SC) in 1219 adults with chronic hepatitis from HCV infection. The patients were not previously treated with interferon therapy, had compensated liver disease, detectable HCV RNA, elevated ALT, and liver histopathology consistent with chronic hepatitis. Patients were treated for 48 weeks with 24 weeks of follow-up. Seventy percent of all patients were infected with HCV genotype I, and 74% of all patients had high baseline levels of HCV RNA (more than 2 million copies/mL of serum), two factors known to predict poor response to treatment.
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