LETTER
Ribavirin for Chronic Hepatitis C
Marvin A. Chinitz
15 October 1996 | Volume 125 Issue 8 | Page 699
TO THE EDITOR:
As a clinical gastroenterologist interested in viral hepatitis, I wish to point out two important, recently published articles that had conflicting conclusions despite similar data.
Di Bisceglie and colleagues [1] reported that ribavirin was not effective in eradicating hepatitis C virus, despite its remarkable success in suppressing liver inflammation and viral RNA levels. Dienstag and coworkers [2] found lamivudine to be effective in suppressing hepatitis B inflammation and viral DNA levels. Each drug suppressed the virus studied to a more successful degree than any other drug available, yet ribavirin was considered a failure. If the virus cannot be eradicated, control of the virus certainly becomes the major goal.
I hope that ribavirin and lamivudine will soon be available for long-term use in patients with hepatitis in whom interferon fails. In Di Bisceglie and colleagues' study, ribavirin should be viewed as a success in treating hepatitis C.
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Author and Article Information
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Mt. Kisco Medical Group, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
1. Di Bisceglie AM, Conjeevaram HS, Fried MW, Sallie R, Park Y, Yurdaydin C, et al. Ribavirin as therapy for chronic hepatitis C. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 123:897-903.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Dienstag JL, Perrillo RP, Schiff ER, Bartholomew M, Vicary C, Rubin M. A preliminary trial of lamivudine for chronic hepatitis B infection. N Engl J Med. 1995; 333:1657-61.
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