Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with α-interferon plus ofloxacin in patients not responding to α-interferon alone

• Published in: Journal of hepatology 1998-09, Vol.29 (3), p.369-374
• Main Authors: Negro, Francesco, Male, Pierre-Jean, Perrin, Luc, Gistra, Emiliano, Hadengue, Antoine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Anti-Infective Agents - therapeutic use; Antibiotics. Antiinfectious agents. Antiparasitic agents; Antiviral agents; Antiviral Agents - adverse effects; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic hepatitis C; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hepatitis C virus; Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy; Humans; Interferon-alpha - adverse effects; Interferon-alpha - therapeutic use; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Ofloxacin; Ofloxacin - adverse effects; Ofloxacin - therapeutic use; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Prognosis; Quantitative RT-PCR; Treatment Outcome; α-interferon
• ISSN: 0168-8278; 1600-0641
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-8278(98)80053-6

Background/Aims: Ofloxacin, a quinolone antibiotic, was recently shown to increase the primary response rate to α-interferon treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Methods: Fifty-five patients with chronic hepatitis C were scheduled to receive 3 MU of α-interferon, three times a week, for 1 year. After 3 months of therapy, patients who were still HCV RNA-positive in serum started receiving a combined regimen with 3 MU of α-inteferon, three times a week, plus ofloxacin, 600 mg daily, per os. After 3 months of combined therapy, patients with undetectable serum HCV RNA continued the combined regimen for another 6 months, whereas patients who were still HCV RNA-positive were definitively considered as non-responders and withdrawn from the study. Serum HCV RNA levels were quantitatively evaluated after 3 months of therapy with α-interferon alone and compared with those detected after 3 months of combined regimen. Results: Among the 54 patients who completed the first 3 months of treatment, 32 (59.3%) still had HCV RNA detectable in serum and started receiving the ofloxacin/α-interferon therapy. Among the 26 patients who completed the 3 additional months of combined regimen, only one showed a virological response: this patient maintained a complete response to the end of combined treatment, but relapsed thereafter. The combination therapy had no effect on the serum HCV RNA or alanine aminotransferase levels. Conclusions: The combined administration of α-interferon and ofloxacin to patients with chronic hepatitis C who have not responded to α-interferon alone does not increase the primary virological response rate.