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The introduction of pegylated IFNα therapy has overcome many of the problems and limitations associated with conventional IFNα and has revolutionised the treatment of CHC. Pegylated forms of IFNα, used either as monotherapy or in combination with RBV, show significantly superior efficacy compared with conventional IFNα therapy (Heathcote et al, 2000a; Zeuzem et al, 2000a; Lindsay et al, 2001; Fried et al, 2002). Therefore, pegylated IFNα plus RBV combination therapy is now considered the standard treatment approach. Two pegylated IFNα compounds are currently available – PEGASYS®1 (peginterferon alfa-2a [40KD]) and PegIntron®2 (peginterferon alfa-2b [12KD]). The two types of pegylated interferons differ in mode of administration due to inherent pK differences. PEGASYS® (peginterferon alfa-2a [40KD] is contained exclusively in the plasma compartment and thus can be administered at a fixed dose, PegIntron®2 (peginterferon alfa-2b [12KD] has a large volume of distribution and is not exclusively contained in the plasma compartment, hence to maintain levels it must be dosed by weight of the patient.
References
1. Manufactured by F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland.
2. Manufactured by Schering-Plough, Brussels, Belgium.