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Drug Safety
Published in: Drug Safety 5/2001

01-04-2001 | Review Article

Tolerability of Treatments for Viral Hepatitis

Authors: Anne Gervais, Nathalie Boyer, Dr Patrick Marcellin

Published in: Drug Safety | Issue 5/2001

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Abstract

Interferon-α is the most widely used antiviral drug in chronic hepatitis B and C. Tolerability is usually good and serious adverse effects are rare. Most of the adverse effects are mild or transient and do not necessitate drug withdrawal. More than 90% of patients who are given interferon-α achieve 6 months to 1 year of treatment without serious adverse effects. The serious adverse effects usually occur in predisposed patients with pre-existing organ dysfunction. Nevertheless, careful selection of patients for therapy and observation during therapy are recommended.
Nucleoside analogues are promising drugs in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B through inhibition of viral DNA polymerase. Lamivudine has been licensed for use in this indication. Its tolerability is excellent even when used for periods of 1 year or more. The main concern is the relatively high incidence of viral resistance resulting in breakthrough during or relapse after therapy.
In the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, ribavirin, in combination with interferon-α is currently the reference therapy. The main adverse effect is haemolytic anaemia, which necessitates careful monitoring and adjustment of dosage in many cases. Recently, large trials showed the better efficacy of pegylated interferons as compared with standard interferon. The combination of pegylated interferon with ribavirin is under evaluation.
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Metadata
Title
Tolerability of Treatments for Viral Hepatitis
Authors
Anne Gervais
Nathalie Boyer
Dr Patrick Marcellin
Publication date
01-04-2001
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Published in
Drug Safety / Issue 5/2001
Print ISSN: 0114-5916
Electronic ISSN: 1179-1942
DOI
https://doi.org/10.2165/00002018-200124050-00004

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