Interferon and thymosin combination therapy in naive patients with chronic hepatitis C: preliminary results

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Abstract
Aims/Background: This randomized study was performed to compare the efficacy of interferon‐alpha (IFN‐α) + thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) treatment to that of IFN‐α alone in light of biochemical and virological response of naive patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods: Seventeen patients were treated with IFN α‐2b (3 million units MU three times a week) + Tα1 (1 mg twice weekly); the other 17 patients received only IFN α‐2b at the same dose. All patients were treated for 6 months and followed up for 12 months. Biochemical (ALT values) and virological (HCV‐RNA) responses to treatment were determined. Results: Combination therapy showed significantly higher efficacy than monotherapy in achieving biochemical and virologic end‐of‐treatment response (pConclusions: These data suggest that the immune modulator Tα1 may be additive or synergistic with IFN‐α in normalizing end‐treatment biochemical and virological responses in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Higher doses and/or more prolonged courses may improve the sustained response rates to this treatment.