A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial of Recombinant Interferon Alpha-2b in the Treatment of Acute Post-Transfusion Hepatitis C: A Preliminary Report

    January 1993 in “ Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology ”
    S‐J. HWANG, S‐D. LEE, Y. Lee, J‐C. WU, C‐Y. CHAN, Yi‐Hsiang Huang, Y‐J. WANG, K.-J. Lo
    TLDR Interferon α‐2b can temporarily reduce hepatitis C virus and normalize liver enzyme levels.
    This study involved 20 patients with acute post-transfusion hepatitis C, who were randomly divided into two groups: one received recombinant interferon (IFN) α-2b treatment, and the other served as a control group without specific treatment. The IFN-treated group showed a significant improvement, with 90% normalizing serum ALT levels compared to 30% in the control group during the 3-month treatment period. After 6 months, 63% of the IFN-treated group maintained normal ALT levels, compared to 44% in the control group. Additionally, 50% of the IFN-treated group lost their serum HCV RNA, compared to 22% in the control group. The treatment was well-tolerated, with minor side effects reported. The study concluded that IFN α-2b injections could suppress viral RNA and normalize serum ALT in patients, but further evaluation was needed to determine if it could prevent chronic hepatitis C.
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