Title: Treating Hepatitis C in “Difficult-to-Treat” Patients
Abstract: The current standard treatment for chronic hepatitis C is the combination of pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin, a synthetic guanosine analogue. In the pegylated form of interferon, the interferon alfa molecule is linked to a polyethylene glycol molecule to ensure sustained interferon concentrations after single weekly injections. Pegylated interferon alfa potently inhibits the replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and has immunomodulatory properties that probably accelerate the clearance of infected cells. Ribavirin exerts a weak and transient early antiviral effect and acts primarily by preventing relapses during and after therapy in patients who have had an initial response. Ribavirin's mechanisms . . .
Publication Year: 2004
Publication Date: 2004-07-28
Language: en
Type: letter
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 35
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