Protocol Number: 01-I-0194
HIV-infected patients 21 years of age and older with chronic hepatitis C infection and a viral load greater than 2000 copies/mL may be eligible for this 2 1/2-year study. Candidates will be screened with blood and urine tests and possibly a liver biopsy, if a recent one is not available. The liver biopsy is done to determine the severity of liver disease. For this test, patients are admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for 1 to 2 days. A sedative is injected into an arm vein, the skin in the area over the biopsy site is numbed with a local anesthetic, and a needle is inserted rapidly into and out of the liver to obtain a small tissue sample. The patient remains in the hospital overnight for monitoring. A chest X-ray, electrocardiogram (EKG) and liver ultrasound are also done. Within 4 weeks of the screening tests, candidates who appear eligible for the study will have a physical examination, medical history and repeat blood tests. Women who can become pregnant will have serial pregnancy tests throughout the study. Patients who meet the study criteria and decide to participate will begin treatment with weekly injections under the skin of peginterferon alpha-2b and take ribavirin pills twice a day by mouth. In addition, patients will continue to take all other medications prescribed by their doctor. Clinic visits will be scheduled as follows: - Days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 21 - Blood will be drawn for safety tests and to measure blood levels of HIV and HCV. - Weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, 52, 56 and 64 - Blood and urine tests will be done to determine the side effects of treatment and its effect on the HCV infection. - Week 48 or end of treatment - Treatment will stop after 48 weeks. At this time, or earlier for those who do not complete the 48 weeks, patients will return to the clinic for a routine clinic visit, blood tests (including tests for hepatitis B and D) and abdominal ultrasound. Patients will be hospitalized for 2 days for a repeat liver biopsy. - Week 72 and extended follow-up visits - At week 72, patients will return for blood tests and a routine clinic visit. HCV viral load will be measured. Follow-up visits every 3 months for an additional year will include a blood test to measure HCV viral load and a complete physical examination.
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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland 20892. Last update: 09/20/2008
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