Related Experiment Videos
Amantadine therapy for chronic hepatitis C
Jill P Smith1, Thomas R Riley, Attila Devenyi
1Department of Medicine, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, The Milton S Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033-0850, USA. jsmith2@psu.edu
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|June 24, 2004
Summary
Amantadine offers a safe alternative for hepatitis C patients unresponsive to interferon. This study found amantadine significantly reduced liver enzymes and improved quality of life, though viral clearance was not statistically significant.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Hepatitis C treatment failure affects up to 50% of patients on standard interferon therapy.
- Many patients cannot tolerate interferon due to adverse side effects.
- Alternative treatment options are needed for non-responders and intolerant patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of amantadine for treating hepatitis C.
- To assess amantadine in patients with prior interferon treatment failure or contraindications.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
- 152 patients with confirmed hepatitis C received amantadine or placebo for 6 months.
- Patients had abnormal liver enzymes, detectable hepatitis C RNA, and abnormal liver histology.
Main Results:
- Amantadine significantly reduced serum alanine aminotransferase levels compared to placebo (P =.03).
- Nine percent of patients cleared the hepatitis C virus by end of therapy.
- A sustained virologic response was observed in 6.8% of patients post-treatment, which was not statistically significant.
- Amantadine therapy was associated with minimal side effects and improved social quality of life (P =.02).
Conclusions:
- Oral amantadine may serve as a safe alternative treatment for hepatitis C.
- It is a viable option for patients intolerant or unresponsive to interferon therapy.