Hepatitis C - Treatment with Interferon - Dose Amount - Frequency

  Interferon is currently the only FDA approved non-experimental therapy for Hepatitis C in the USA.  The "standard" dose is 3 million units injected 3 times per week.
  I have several troubling questions about this:
  1)  Why is the "standard dose" set for 3 million units 3 times per week instead of half that amount daily, or every a smaller dose 8 or 12 hours?   Is there any medical evidence that this is the most effective dose?  Or is there evidence that there may be more effective as well as tolerable dosing schedules?  If there is such evidence (and I believe there is) why aren't other dosing schedules being used?
  2)  If rapid viral reduction is the goal of IFN treatment, then why are dosing schedules not more properly geared to reduce the viral load ASAP, and then adjusted downward to more tolerable levels after losing viremia?  Wouldn't it be far more cost effective to spend a bit more initially treating the viral load (and doing the needed tests to measure it) than to dole out 6, 12 or 18 month "courses of treatment"?
  3)  What is so "magic" about giving 3 million units 3 times per week to every patient, whether or not he is a 300 lb. man or a 90 lb. woman?  Why isn't the dosage scaled to body weight?  No veterinarian would prescribe the same dosage of anything for a 9 lb. cat, a 60 lb. dog, or a 1000 lb. horse.  Why is interferon being prescribed in a "one size fits all" way?
  4)  Why is genotyping so often refused with the explanation that it wouldn't affect treatment options?  It seems that if one has type 1 or 4 more aggressive or lengthy approaches should be considered than in those with 2 or 3 which might require shorter less severe treatment.
  I have been dealing with these kinds of questions in a local Hepatitis support group that I moderate, and I am at a loss to answer these questions.
  I appreciate any clarification you might offer.
  Jere

[HFHS-MD-dm]

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Dear Jere:
Wow, you