Systematic review: Effectiveness of antiviral treatment for hepatitis C virus infection in adults

Source: Ann Intern Med Area: News This systematic review compared the safety and efficacy of various antiviral treatments for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in treatment-naive adults. The researchers searched Medline, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, PsychINFO, and clinical trial registries for English-language randomised controlled trials of antiviral treatments and cohort studies examining associations between sustained virological response (SVR) after therapy and clinical outcomes.   The following findings were noted:   . No trial was identified that evaluated effectiveness of treatment on long-term clinical outcomes.   . Dual therapy with pegylated interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin was associated with a lower likelihood of SVR than was pegylated interferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin (absolute difference, 8 percentage points [95% CI, 3 to 14 percentage points]) on the basis of 7 poor- to fair-quality trials.   . For genotype 2 or 3 infection, dual ...
Source: NeLM - News - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news