Conducted at approximately 40 sites in the United States, the COPILOT study compared weight-based low-dose peginterferon
alfa-
2b (subcutaneous injection
of 0.5 mcg/kg/wk, one-third the dose used in standard HCV combination therapy) versus colchicine (0.6 mg orally, twice daily), an anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic medication, in 555 chronic hepatitis C patients with advanced liver fibrosis who previously failed interferon-based therapies.