interferon alfa 2b side effects

Alfa 2a was much much easier for me to tolerate that was Alfa 2b. I treated with 2b twice for 1 year each and it was nearly impossible for me to finish both times. Then I treated with 2a for 73 weeks and that was a like a walk in the park compared with Alfa 2b. I agree with Brent - the efficacy of both are considered comparable.

http://www.nature.com/eye/journal/v17/n4/full/6700391a.html "INF-alpha therapy has been known to cause a variety of ocular lesions.1,2 Typical lesions include cottonwool spots and retinal haemorrhages at the posterior fundus, particularly around the optic disc, secondary to retinal ischaemia, which usually appear within 3 months of the onset of therapy.

To assess the efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin in genotype 1-infected patients treated for up to 12 weeks with peginterferon alfa-2b/ribavirin but not achieving EVR (non-EVR) or non-tolerant (NT) due to depression, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, or injection-site reactions. Methods: NTs were treated for an additional 36 weeks and non-EVRs for an additional 60 weeks with peginterferon alfa-2a (180 mug/wk)/ribavirin (1000/1200 mg/d).

I have hep- c for a longtime& genotype 3 yes i read the article shows a statistically higher SVR rate for 2a.

Overall, 49% of patients discontinued their medication before the end of the four-year study, with 36% due to failure to comply and 13% due to side effects. Peginterferon alfa-2b was generally well tolerated. Among patients who discontinued due to interferon side effects (17.1%, 49/286), the most common reason (45%, 22/49 patients) was general intolerance to interferon (e.g., due to flu-like symptoms, malaise, and other common interferon side effects).

I've taken both 2a & 2b. For me, 2a had less side effects. I've been told that 2a has a smaller peg than 2b and that's why it has less side effects. I'm not a chemist so I can't confirm that information. Just know that 2a was better for me.

Lamivudine monotherapy failed to sustain seroconversion. Interferon alfa- 2b plus lamivudine demonstrated inconsistent effects on seroconversion at 6-28 weeks of followup with significant benefit in a pooled analysis from four RCTs using individual patient data. Telbivudine versus adefovir or peginterferon alfa-2a versus lamivudine increased post treatment HBeAg seroconversion.

For example, the drug alpha interferon, the basis of all current western therapies for HCV, is a copy of the alpha interferon the human body manufactures to combat viruses. The flu-like side effects of interferon therapy are not surprising when you realize that the same symptoms occur when the body releases its own interferons to combat a viral infection. below are a couple of other links I saw as well. http://www.hepatitisweek.org/members/Managing/interferon.htm http://www.cancerhelp.org.

Pegasys is a brand name for Peginterferon alfa-2a or Pegylated interferon alfa-2a which is an antiviral drug made by La Roche. It is given by injection. It is used in combination with another medication called Ribavirin (a pill), and a third medication, either Victrellis or Incivek, which are both pills, to treat Hepatitis C. Let us know if you have further questions.

[15,16] Our group conducted a randomized, open-label phase III study to directly compare weekly peginterferon alfa-2a with 2 different doses of biweekly albinterferon alfa-2b (900 and 1200 μg), all of which were administered with weight-based ribavirin for 48 weeks (Capsule Summary).[17] This pivotal study included 1323 treatment-naive patients with chronic genotype 1 HCV infection.

Psychiatric side effects associated with oral ribavirin in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a, peginterferon alfa-2b, or interferon alfa-2b have included irritability/anxiety/nervousness/emotional lability (up to 47%), insomnia (up to 41%), depression (up to 36%), concentration impairment (up to 21%), mood alteration (up to 9%), and agitation (up to 8%).

what is the difference (related to HBV ) between Interferon alfa-2a and Interferon alfa-2b ?

Two kinds of pegylated interferons are available -- peginterferon alfa-2a (also called alfa-2a) and peginterferon alfa-2b (also called alfa-2b). The main difference between these two pegylated interferons is in the dosing. Alfa-2a is used as a fixed weekly dose. Alfa-2b is used as a weekly dose based on the weight of the patient. There are other differences between the two drugs, but they are mostly technical and are used by the prescribing physician.

dose anyone know the side effects of peginterferon alfa 2b and ribavirin i start them tomarrow

I am GT 1 and my md only wants to give me 800 mg of riba because I weigh 115 lbs. Why ?! •for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection (monoinfection) in combination with interferon alfa-2b in patients previously untreated with interferon alpha: NOTE: Consider response prognostic factors, HCV genotype, viral load, and disease progression evidence such as hepatic inflammation and fibrosis when deciding to treat a pediatric patient.

As reported in the August 2008 issue of Hepatology, Stephen Zeuzem and an international team of colleagues conducted an open-label Phase 2 study in which 458 treatment-naive patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C were randomly assigned to receive either standard therapy with 180 mcg once-weekly pegylated interferon alfa-2a (Pegasys) or else albumin interferon alfa-2b at doses of 900 or 1200 mcg once every 2 weeks or 1200 mcg once every 4 weeks for 48 weeks.

Interferon alfa 2b side effects

Common Questions and Answers about Interferon alfa 2b side effects

peg-intron