Long-term outcome of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in a real-world setting: The German LOTOS study.

Background & Aims: There are few large-scale, prospective studies comparing liver-associated events in treated and untreated patients with CHC managed in routine clinical practice.

Methods: Patients with CHC were prospectively enrolled in a non-interventional study. Data from patients with available documentation who had either achieved a sustained virological response, or were non-responders, relapsers, or had virological breakthrough following treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a±ribavirin, or who had been diagnosed but never treated at least 3 years previously, and who remained under medical observation were analyzed.

The HEP-NET B/C co-infection trial: A prospective multicenter study to investigate the efficacy of pegylated interferon-alpha2b and ribavirin in patients with HBV/HCV co-infection.

Background/aims: The efficacy of pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin in HBV/HCV co-infected patients is unknown.

Methods: Nineteen patients with chronic HBV/HCV co-infection (HBsAg and HCV-RNA positive; 10 HCV-genotype 1; 9 HCV-genotype 2 or 3) were included in this prospective multicenter pilot study. Baseline HBV-DNA was negative in 13 individuals.