Study on retreatment of non-responders using data from the HALT-C trial:
<a href="http://www2.gastrojournal.org/scripts/om.dll/serve?action=searchDB&searchDBfor=art&artType=abs&id=as0016508504000344&nav=abs">Peginterferon Alfa-2a and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C who have failed prior treatment</a>
(from the article):
"<i>Results: Thirty-five percent of patients had no detectable HCV RNA in serum at treatment week 20, and 18% achieved sustained virologic response (SVR). Factors associated with an SVR included previous treatment with interferon monotherapy, infection with genotypes 2 or 3, a lower AST:ALT ratio, and absence of cirrhosis. Reducing the dose of ribavirin from 80% to 60% of the starting dose during the first 20 weeks of treatment was associated with a decline in SVR from 21% to 11% (P 0.05). In contrast, reducing the dose of peginterferon or reducing ribavirin after week 20, when HCV RNA was already undetectable, did not significantly affect SVR.Conclusions: Selected nonresponders to previous interferon-based therapy can achieve SVR following retreatment with peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin.</i>"
Survey of Hep C patients:
<a href="http://www.natap.org/2004/HCV/032904_06.htm">Hepatitis C virus-infected patients (41%) report communication problems with physicians</a>