It seems that treating Hepatitis C for shorter durations can be effective for some patients. This was discovered after two randomized controlled trials were conducted in Italy and Norway.
Researchers led by Alessandra Mangia of Italy’s Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza, in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, conducted a randomized controlled trial of 696 patients with HCV genotype 1.
Out of the 696 patients, 237 received standard HCV treatment and the remaining 459 were treated for 24, 48 or 72 weeks.
A majority of patients who showed a viral response at Week 4 were cured by a 24-week therapy, however, for patients who didn’t show a response until Week 12, 72 weeks of treatment was required for an approximately similar cure rate.
Researchers in Norway led by Olav Dalgard conducted a randomized controlled trial of 428 patients with HCV genotype 2 or 3 to assess the success rate of 14 weeks of treatment with the drugs peginterferon and ribavirin — for 14 or 24 weeks.
The researchers found that 81 percent of patients in the 14-week treatment group achieved a sustained viral response, with 86 percent still cured at 24-weeks post-treatment.