Interferon Alfacon-1A Novel Interferon for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C

Interferon alfacon-1 (consensus interferon; CIFN) is a novel, recombinant interferon which has been shown to have greater biological activity in vitro than other interferons. CIFN was tested in a large, phase 3, multicentre, North American study in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Patients were treated with 9μg CIFN or 3MU interferon (IFN)-α-2b 3 times weekly for 6 months. Efficacy was assessed by changes in ALT, decrease in hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA and improvement in histology. CIFN produced similar overall response rates to those seen with IFNα-2b. However, the response rate and decrease in HCV RNA were greater among genotype 1 patients treated with CIFN than among those treated with IFNα-2b. Patients with sustained response generally responded early in treatment, with 96% responding by week 12. There was also a better response to CIFN than to IFNα-2b in patients with a high baseline viral concentration. Although the majority of CIFN-treated patients had histological improvement in the liver, it is notable that even patients who relapsed or did not respond had histological improvement and thus benefited from CIFN treatment. Viral and histological benefits were similar in patients with and without cirrhosis although ALT levels were not as improved in those with cirrhosis.