February 13, 2003

Research validates hepatitis therapy

By Elizabeth Crown

A new cognitive behavioral therapy strategy developed by Schering-Plough improves compliance among patients with hepatitis C (HCV) who are receiving the pegylated interferon-based combination therapy Peg-Intron® and Rebetol® (ribavirin), according to a Northwestern study.

Steven L. Flamm, M.D., associate professor of medicine and of surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine and principal investigator on the study, presented his group’s findings at the 53rd annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease.

In his oral presentation, Flamm showed that HCV patients enrolled in an aggressive side-effect management program including the Schering-Plough patient assistance program BeInCharge are less likely to stop taking Peg-Intron and Rebetol combination therapy in the first 12 weeks of therapy than patients who receive only routine supportive care by their physicians.

Study results also indicated that pegylated interferon-based combination therapy significantly improves physical- and mental health-related quality of life at weeks 4 and 8 of the regimen.

“The next advancement in treatment may be some years down the road. Right now we need to maximize the current standard of care to get better results for patients,” Flamm said. “This study suggests that a proactive support program can actually contribute to the success of therapy and can therefore lead to increased cures for this often deadly infection.”