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Health benefits from anti-viral therapy for mild chronic hepatitis C
ISRCTN ISRCTN24461054
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier
Public title Health benefits from anti-viral therapy for mild chronic hepatitis C
Scientific title
Acronym N/A
Serial number at source HTA 95/24/03
Study hypothesis A multicentre, randomised study comparing interferon and ribavarin with no treatment for patients with mild chronic Hepatitis C.
Ethics approval Added as of 23/07/2007: Ethics committee approval was obtained both centrally (MREC/98/2/12) and from each Local Centre Committee (LREC).
Study design Multicentre, randomised, controlled, non-blinded trial
Countries of recruitment United Kingdom
Disease/condition/study domain Infection and infestations: Hepatitis
Participants - inclusion criteria Inclusion criteria updated as of 24/07/2007:
1. Adult, male or female, minimum age of 18 years
2. Serum positive for HCV by quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) assay
3. Liver biopsy within 1 year before entry to the protocol. Histological diagnosis consistent with mild chronic hepatitis (Ishak necroinflammatory score <4, fibrosis score <3)
4. Compensated liver disease with the following minimum haematological, biochemical and serological criteria at the screening visit:
4.1. Haemoglobin (Hb) ≥12 g dl–1 for women and ≥13 g dl–1 for men
4.2. White Blood Cell count (WBC) ≥ 3000 mm–3
4.3. Granulocyte count ≥1500 mm–3
4.4. Platelets ≥100,000 mm–3
4.5. Prothrombin time/ International Normalised Ratio (INR) within normal limits
4.6. Bilirubin within normal limits (unless non-hepatitis-related factors such as Gilbert’s disease explain a rise)
4.7. Albumin stable and within normal limits
4.8. Serum creatinine within normal limits
4.9. Fasting blood sugar within normal limits for non-diabetic patients
4.10. Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) <8.5% for diabetic patients (whether diet controlled or on medication)
4.11. TSH within normal limits (patients requiring medication to maintain Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels in the normal range were eligible if all other inclusion/exclusion criteria were met)
4.12. AntiNuclear Antibodies (ANA) <1:160
4.13. Anti-HIV antibody negative
4.14. Serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) negative
5. Confirmation and documentation that sexually active patients of childbearing potential were practising adequate contraception during the treatment period and for 6 months after discontinuation of therapy. A serum pregnancy test was obtained at entry before the initiation of treatment and had to be negative. Female patients could not breast-feed.

Inclusion criteria provided at time of registration:
Patients with hepatitis C
Participants - exclusion criteria Exclusion criteria added as of 24/07/2007:
1. Prior treatment with interferon-alpha or ribavirin
2. Hypersensitivity to interferon-alpha or ribavirin
3. Participation in any other clinical trial within 30 days of entry to this protocol
4. Treatment with any investigational drug within 30 days of entry to this protocol
5. Prior treatment for hepatitis with any other antiviral or immunomodulatory drug within the previous 2 years
6. Any other cause for the liver disease other than chronic hepatitis C, including but not limited to:
6.1. Coinfection with hepatitis B virus
6.2. Haemochromatosis (iron deposition >2+ in liver parenchyma)
6.3. Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency
6.4. Wilson’s disease
6.5. Autoimmune hepatitis
6.6. Alcoholic liver disease
6.7. Obesity-induced liver disease
6.8. Drug-related liver disease
7. Haemophilia or any other condition preventing the patient from having a liver biopsy, including anticoagulant therapy
8. Haemoglobinopathies (e.g. thalassaemia)
9. Evidence of advanced liver disease, such as history or presence of ascites, bleeding varices, encephalopathy
10. Patients with organ transplants
11. Any known pre-existing medical condition that could interfere with the patient’s participation in and completion of the
protocol such as:
11.1. Pre-existing psychiatric condition (e.g. severe depression, or a history of severe psychiatric disorder)
11.2. CNS trauma or seizure disorder requiring medication
11.3. Significant cardiovascular dysfunction within the past 6 months (e.g. angina, congestive cardiac failure, recent myocardial infarction, severe hypertension or significant arrhythmia)
11.4. Patients with an ECG showing clinically significant abnormalities
11.5. Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus
11.6. Chronic pulmonary disease (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
11.7. Immunologically mediated disease (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, scleroderma, severe psoriasis, cryoglobulinaemia with vasculitis)
11.8. Any medical condition requiring, or likely to require during the course of the study, chronic systemic administration of steroids
11.9. Gout
12. Substance abuse, such as excessive alcohol intake (>50 g day–1) or erratic use of intravenous or inhaled drugs
13. Patients with clinically significant retinal abnormalities
14. Any other condition which in the opinion of the investigator would make the patient unsuitable for enrolment or that could interfere with the patient participating in or completing the protocol
Anticipated start date 01/08/1998
Anticipated end date 31/10/2003
Status of trial Completed
Patient information material
Target number of participants 204
Interventions Please note that, as of 14 January 2008, the anticipated end date of this trial has been updated from 31 July 2001 to 31 October 2003.

Interventions:
1. Interferon and ribavarin
2. No treatment
Primary outcome measure(s) Primary outcome measure updated as of 24/07/2007:
Sustained Virological Response (SVR) at 24 weeks post-treatment.

Primary outcome measure provided at time of registration:
Analysis includes health economics, quality of life and virological end points.
Secondary outcome measure(s) Secondary outcome measures added as of 24/07/2007:
1. Baseline factors predicting SVR
2. Changes in histopathology
3. Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL)
4. Viral kinetics: the relationship of early viral kinetics to final treatment outcome
5. Adverse events
Sources of funding NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme - HTA (UK)
Trial website
Publications 2006 HTA monograph in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16750059
Contact name Prof  Howard  Thomas
  Address Department of Medicine
St Mary's Hospital
Imperial College School of Medicine at St Mary's
10th Floor QEQM Wing
South Wharf Road
  City/town London
  Zip/Postcode W2 1PG
  Country United Kingdom
  Tel +44 (0)20 7886 6454
  Fax +44 (0)20 7724 9369
  Email h.thomas@imperial.ac.uk
Sponsor Department of Health (UK)
  Address Quarry House
Quarry Hill
  City/town Leeds
  Zip/Postcode LS2 7UE
  Country United Kingdom
  Email Sheila.Greener@doh.gsi.gov.uk
  Sponsor website: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm
Date applied 25/04/2003
Last edited 01/09/2009
Date ISRCTN assigned 25/04/2003
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