Aa
Interfergen
Hello to all. I am 1b and will start Pegasus/Copeg very soon. I have seen Interfergen mentioned in my readings. Some people take it every day. Is this a more successful treatment than the interferon? Is it available in Canada? Thanks.
Infergen is manufactured by Amgen who does not have the financial clout of a Roache (Pegasys) or a Shearing Plough (Peg Intron).
I'm thinking for this reason (at least in part) they've been relegated to "cleaning up" the mess left by the other two drugs in hard-to-treat cases, while the big boys get first shot (and the big money)in most cases.
One would think that if Infergen has a better track record for re-treatment, then it might be better for treating tx naive patients.
So where are all the trials in hard-to-treat geno 1, tx naive patients pitting Infergen against Pegasys and/or Peg Intron? I coldn't find any although the Ideal trial seems in full swing pitting two almost identical Pegs against each other ad nauseum :)
The only thing I read about was a trial with geno 2's and 3's which showed no difference between the peg's and infergen. But with the high SVR rate in this group, this trial really doesn't offer a lot.
Some might say that Infergen isn't used initially because of it's "severe" side effects. But at least on an anecdotal level, many doctors say the sides are identical. In fact, some doctors are using lower doses of Infergen with success and report very minimial side effects. Still no studies that I know of.
So unless you want to go where not too many people have gone before, then you're stuck with Pegasys or Peg Intron initially.
But I'd really like to see some decent head-to-head trials of Infergen for tx naive geno 1's.
(Most of the above is simply speculation and editorial. I'm not a doctor, haven't done any studies, haven't found any studies, so have no idea if Infergen is better than the Peg's, although logic suggests it might be.)
Big drug company rant over. :)
-- Jim
I'm thinking for this reason (at least in part) they've been relegated to "cleaning up" the mess left by the other two drugs in hard-to-treat cases, while the big boys get first shot (and the big money)in most cases.
One would think that if Infergen has a better track record for re-treatment, then it might be better for treating tx naive patients.
So where are all the trials in hard-to-treat geno 1, tx naive patients pitting Infergen against Pegasys and/or Peg Intron? I coldn't find any although the Ideal trial seems in full swing pitting two almost identical Pegs against each other ad nauseum :)
The only thing I read about was a trial with geno 2's and 3's which showed no difference between the peg's and infergen. But with the high SVR rate in this group, this trial really doesn't offer a lot.
Some might say that Infergen isn't used initially because of it's "severe" side effects. But at least on an anecdotal level, many doctors say the sides are identical. In fact, some doctors are using lower doses of Infergen with success and report very minimial side effects. Still no studies that I know of.
So unless you want to go where not too many people have gone before, then you're stuck with Pegasys or Peg Intron initially.
But I'd really like to see some decent head-to-head trials of Infergen for tx naive geno 1's.
(Most of the above is simply speculation and editorial. I'm not a doctor, haven't done any studies, haven't found any studies, so have no idea if Infergen is better than the Peg's, although logic suggests it might be.)
Big drug company rant over. :)
-- Jim
Forgot your profile, maybe you can update.
Is this your first tx? If so, I don't know why you'd be injecting three times a week. Here, most treatment naive (first-timers) use either Pegasys or Peg Intron, both pegalayted inteferons. Some doctors double-dose, but three times a week would not be the norm.
On the other hand, maybe your doctor is using consensus inteferon (Infergen). I'm not as up on it, but Infergen used mostly for non-responders, or possibly slow responders. I think it's sometimes injected 3X a week, but often it's a daily injection. Not sure what the studies say regarding SVR with the various injection frequencies. I have heard, however, that lower doses have similar SVR's with fewer side effects.
Don't think you want to use the older non-pegalayted, 3X a week inteferon. Probably best you ask your doctor directly what they have in mind.
-- Jim
Is this your first tx? If so, I don't know why you'd be injecting three times a week. Here, most treatment naive (first-timers) use either Pegasys or Peg Intron, both pegalayted inteferons. Some doctors double-dose, but three times a week would not be the norm.
On the other hand, maybe your doctor is using consensus inteferon (Infergen). I'm not as up on it, but Infergen used mostly for non-responders, or possibly slow responders. I think it's sometimes injected 3X a week, but often it's a daily injection. Not sure what the studies say regarding SVR with the various injection frequencies. I have heard, however, that lower doses have similar SVR's with fewer side effects.
Don't think you want to use the older non-pegalayted, 3X a week inteferon. Probably best you ask your doctor directly what they have in mind.
-- Jim
At 5 months of tx, my blood test showed only a 1.5 log drop (before this I haven't been tested, the doctor wanted to wait). So now he has upped the the PegIntron shot from .04 to .05 and kept the rib at 1000. I have lost 20 pounds so that should help. So after a month, he wants to check again and if I haven't done the log drop, he wants to discontinue treatment. I have no unbearable sx, just a little tired and weak and little things. He tells me that daily shots of interfergen for a year is the next thing. (I am 1b, stage 2...3 for the other thing.) That sounds really unbearable. What is next for non-responders? Do we keep asking for this other treatment...or do we stop and just get worse. I know everyone is different but if we try and take care of ourselves, how long til it gets bad? Or do we just live on and slowly fall apart? In other words, what is next?
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