any studies about 1A's treating for 24 weeks?

[BLESSEDHEPPER]

I was Undetectable at week 4. I am in week 15/48. I saw a couple days ago someone was going to treat for 24 weeks instead of the full 48. Where can I find the studies? Does anyone have any links?
thanks

[BLESSEDHEPPER]

my stats:

female
1a
base vl = 899
ALT = 16

WEEK 1 OF TX:
ALT = 80

WEEK 4 OF TX:
ALT = 58
UND

WEEK 12 OF TX:
ALT = 42

DR SAID THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING GREAT. HE SAID THE ONLY NEGATIVE THING IS THAT HE WOULD OF LIKED TO SEE MY ALT LEVELS BACK TO NORMAL..

[NYgirl]

Not me.  I am a serious believer in full term treatment. To me, it wasn't worth the chance.

The big studies did the odds of 4 week UND with 48 weeks of treatment. That has been the standard.  I'd have to see a lot of data that it did not decrease the chance one iota to cut it in half.

Since most of us are turning to 72 lately and getting the longer the better approach told us by doctors now...I just get worried about relapse even with an UND.  50/50 are good odds for a geno1 but not really AWESOME.

Just MY thinking.  I wouldn't have done it if I could.

[Kalio1]

What if any damage did your biopsy show?

I'd be very careful in shortening your tx time. You don't want to have to do a full course again if this fails because you didn't go the normal treatment time. You don't want to end up having to treat longer than you have to but you want to do all you can to give it a chance to work.

[jmjm530]

See "A La Carte's" thread below. She is a 1a and SVR with the 24-week shorter course of treatment.
Link: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/44218.html
---------------------
I believe the latest study is by Jensen over at the Clinical Options site and a few others, including what the European Directive was based on per A La Carte's thread.Maybe if you try googling "24 week hcv" you will get some hits.

Trend with some specialists is now to tailor tx length to viral response, so some rapid responders get 24 weeks while 'normal' responders get 48 weeks and slower responders get 72 weeks, etc.

Personally, I think the shorter course  very reasonable choice for those 1a's who are rapid responders without significant liver damage. The point as I see it isn't just to try and get rid of the virus but to try and get rid of the virus with the least reasonable amount of damage to your system from the treatment drugs.

The other prerequisite for shorter course is low pre-tx viral load which is generally defined around 600,000 IU/ml although A La Carte had a higher viral load. You say your pre-tx viral load was 899? Never heard of a viral load that low pre-tx. Were you in an acute stage possibly? If so, I believe those with acute HCV treat less than 48 weeks anyway, but that's something to check with your doctor of course.

All the best,

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

I haven't checked the links, but here's another recent thread on the shorter course: http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/44262.html

[ala carte]

Here's some links that I posted to PDS below.  The Zeuzem study is just the name, not a link.  I don't have the study on my computer.

http://www.natap.org/2005/AASLD/aasld_54.htm

S Zeuzem and others. Efficacy of 24 weeks treatment with peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C infected with genotype 1 and low pretreatment viremia. Journal of Hepatology 44(1): 97-103. January 2006.

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/reports/AASLD_2005/11%2015%20treatment%20-4.htm#Treat_4_2

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2005/ad/100705_a.html

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/reports/AASLD_2006/Abstracts/Tuesday%20clinical%20trials%20and%20therapeutic.htm#CTrials_1124

[paleface]

I am an acute 1b who elected to go 24 weeks. My pre-tx viral load was just over 1000. I am 5 wks post and just waiting to see if I stay clear.