Is interferon-beta an alternative treatment for chronic hepatitis C?

The treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is still far from optimal, particularly for those subpopulations that do not respond to the standard combination therapy with Interferon-alpha (IFN alpha) plus ribavirin. Although in some cases the use of higher doses or longer treatment periods may be effective, these approaches are generally associated with a higher incidence of adverse events, which may either lead to a reduction in patient compliance or require drug withdrawal. IFN beta could represent an interesting alternative for treating CHC patients. Controversial data about IFN beta efficacy in CHC exist, the main reason being that many results stem from pilot studies with small cohorts of patients. However, promising results have been obtained in some subgroups of patients that fail to respond to IFN alpha. Additionally, the good tolerability of IFN beta represents an important advantage of the drug. The rates of dropouts in controlled clinical trials, as well as the need for dose reductions or treatment discontinuation are very low. It might be worth assessing the value of IFN beta plus ribavirin in randomized studies with a larger cohort of patients, not eligible or not tolerating standard therapy, and for non-responders. (C) 2006 The WJG Press. All rights reserved.