Efficacy and safety of peginterferon alpha-2a/ribavirin in treatment-naive Cameroonian patients with chronic hepatitis

December 8, 2008

J Med Virol. 2008 Dec;80(12):2079-85.

Efficacy and safety of peginterferon alpha-2a/ribavirin in treatment-naive

Cameroonian patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Njouom R, Sartre MT, Timba I, Nerrienet E, Tchendjou P, Pasquier C, Rousset D.

Laboratoire de Virologie, Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Yaounde, Cameroon.

Data were examined from a day-to-day clinical practice in Yaounde, Cameroon to

evaluate the efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin in

treatment-naive Cameroonian patients with chronic hepatitis C. Ninety adults

with chronic hepatitis C (mean age, 53 +/- 8 years; 79% males; 37.8% genotype 1;

23.3% genotype 2; and 38.9% genotype 4) were given at least 12 weeks of

combination therapy between February 2003 and August 2007. Of these, 54

completed the treatment and the 24-week follow up. Subsequently, 18 continued

treatment and 18 (20%) discontinued the treatment, 6 (6.7%) due to adverse

effects. An intention-to-treat analysis showed that 38 (52.8%) had an

end-of-treatment virologic response and 34 (47.2%) had a sustained virologic

response. Sustained virologic response were significantly higher among patients

with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 (83.4%) than in those with genotype 1

(31%) or genotype 4 (42.3%) (P < 0.05). Non HCV-2 genotype, pretreatment

fibrosis score>2, HCV RNA level>8.0 x 10(5) IU/ml and a non-virologic response

at 12 weeks of treatment were associated with poor sustained virologic response

(P < 0.05). Thus, HCV can be treated in a Sub-Saharan African country. It

indicates that Cameroonian HCV-1 and -4 patients have a poorer sustained

virologic response than the published results for Western and Middle-East

countries. Virus subtype may influence the treatment outcome, since there is a

great genetic diversity within Cameroonian HCV-1 and -4 genotypes. J. Med.

PMID: 19040282 [PubMed - in process

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