Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Sep;39(3):649-58.
doi: 10.1016/j.gtc.2010.08.008.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of peginterferon and ribavirin: implications for clinical efficacy in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C

Mazen Noureddin  1 , Marc G Ghany
Affiliations
Review

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of peginterferon and ribavirin: implications for clinical efficacy in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C

Mazen Noureddin et al. Gastroenterol Clin North Am. 2010 Sep.

Abstract

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of standard interferon alfa-2a and interferon alfa-2b are substantially altered by pegylation. The size, geometry, and site of attachment of the PEG moiety affect the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics as evidenced by the different absorption, volume of distribution, and clearance of the linear 12-kDa peginterferon alfa-2b and the branched 40-kDa peginterferon alfa-2a. Despite these differences, the clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the 2 peginterferons are similar. However, evidence exists that peginterferon alfa-2 plus ribavirin is associated with small but significantly higher sustained virological response rates compared with peginterferon alfa-2b. This article discusses the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the 2 peginterferons and their combination with ribavirin.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Williams R. Global challenges in liver disease. Hepatology. 2006;44:521–6. - PubMed
    1. McHutchison JG, Gordon SC, Schiff ER, et al. Interferon alfa-2b alone or in combination with ribavirin as initial treatment for chronic hepatitis C. Hepatitis Interventional Therapy Group. N Engl J Med. 1998;339:1485–92. - PubMed
    1. Davis GL, Esteban-Mur R, Rustgi V, et al. Interferon alfa-2b alone or in combination with ribavirin for the treatment of relapse of chronic hepatitis C. International Hepatitis Interventional Therapy Group. N Engl J Med. 1998;339:1493–9. - PubMed
    1. Poynard T, Marcellin P, Lee SS, et al. Randomised trial of interferon alpha2b plus ribavirin for 48 weeks or for 24 weeks versus interferon alpha2b plus placebo for 48 weeks for treatment of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus. International Hepatitis Interventional Therapy Group (IHIT) Lancet. 1998;352:1426–32. - PubMed
    1. Manns MP, McHutchison JG, Gordon SC, et al. Peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin compared with interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin for initial treatment of chronic hepatitis C: a randomised trial. Lancet. 2001;358:958–65. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms