Is "IDEAL" so ideal?
The article concludes the study of IDEAL that compared the efficacy and safety of treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis С infected with genotype 1 virus using pegylated interferons alpha2a and alpha2b (in doses 1.0 mg/kg and 1.5 mg/kg per week) in combination with ribavirin. The results confirmed the equal efficacy (about 40%) and safety of treatment with both drugs. The study design does not permit to qualify it as a «head-to-head» study. In the group of patients who received pegylated interferon alpha2a, a higher incidence rate of immediate response (64%) was observed than in groups of patients who received pegylated interferon alpha2b (49% and 53%). The frequency of relapses was also higher in the group of patients who received pegylated interferon alpha2a (32%), which might be associated with a lower dose of ribavirin eventually received by patients of this group (according to the study protocol). The equal efficacy of Pegintron administered in doses 1.0 mg/kg and 1.5 mg/kg per week was demonstrated. No advantages of dosing pegylated interferon according to the body weight as compared with the fixed dose has been found