Claims for Patent: 6,172,046

Summary for Patent: 6,172,046

Title:	Combination therapy for eradicating detectable HCV-RNA in patients having chronic Hepatitis C infection
Abstract:	There is disclosed a method for treating a patient having chronic hepatitis C infection to eradicate detectable HCV-RNA involving a combination therapy using a therapeutically effective amount of ribavirin and a therapeutically effective amount of interferon-alpha for a time period of from 20 up to 80 weeks.
Inventor(s):	Albrecht; Janice K. (Winter Park, FL)
Assignee:	Schering Corporation (Kenilworth, NJ)
Application Number:	08/938,033
Patent Claims:	1. A method of treating a patient having chronic hepatitis C infection having HCV genotype 1 and having a viral load of greater than 2 million copies/mL of serum HCV-RNA as measured by HCV-RNA/qPCR to eradicate detectable HCV-RNA comprising administering a therapeutically effective combination of ribavirin and interferon-alpha for a time period of at least 24 weeks wherein the patient has fewer than about 100 copies/mL of serum HCV-RNA at the end of said period and also has less than about 100 copies/mL of serum HCV-RNA for at least 24 weeks after the end of said period. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of ribavirin administered is from about 400 to about 1200 mg per day. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of ribavirin administered is from about 800 to about 1200 mg per day. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interferon-alpha administered is selected from interferon alpha-2a, interferon alpha-2b, a consensus interferon, a purified interferon alpha product or a pegylated interferon-alpha. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the amount of the interferon-alpha administered is selected from interferon alpha-2a, interferon alpha-2b or a purified interferon alpha product and the amount of the interferon-alpha administered is from about 2 to about 10 million IU per week on a weekly, TIW, QOD or daily basis. 6. The method of claim 3, wherein the amount of the interferon-alpha administered is about 3 million IU TIW. 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the interferon-alpha administered is interferon alpha-2b and the amount of the interferon-alpha administered is about 3 million IU TIW. 8. The method of claim 2, wherein the interferon-alpha administered is consensus interferon and the amount of the interferon-alpha administered is from about 1 to about 20 micrograms per week on a weekly, TIW, QOD or daily basis. 9. The method of claim 2, wherein the interferon-alpha administered is pegylated interferon alpha-2b and the amount of the interferon-alpha administered is from about 0.5 to about 2.0 micrograms/kilogram per week on a weekly, TIW, QOD or daily basis. 10. The method of claim 2,wherein the interferon-alpha administered is pegylated interferon alpha-2a and the amount of the interferon-alpha administered is from about 20 to about 250 micrograms/kilogram per week on a weekly, TIW, QOD or daily basis.