Albinterferon-alpha 2b: a new treatment option for hepatitis C.

IMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: HCV infection affects 180 million people worldwide. Standard therapy combines weekly injections of pegIFN and daily ribavirin (RBV). Albinterferon (albIFN)-α2b is the most advanced in the development of an IFN-based compound. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: The rationale for albIFN-α2b is to combine IFN-α antiviral activity with prolonged presence of human serum albumin in human blood. Initial experimental studies on albIFN-α2b were published in 2002. This review provides results of preclinical and subsequent clinical trials. Results of two Phase III clinical trials were presented in 2009 and will be published shortly. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: This review discusses the current status of knowledge on the efficacy and safety of albIFN-α2b. Phase III clinical trials demonstrated comparable efficacy of albIFN-α2b given every 2 weeks to weekly pegIFN-α2a, both in combination with RBV. However, the most promising seems to be every 4 weeks dosage. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Treatment with albIFN-α2b combined with RBV can provide comparable efficacy with the current standard of care medication with a reduced number of injections. Lower frequency of some adverse events and improved quality of life can be expected in patients receiving albIFN-α2b every 4 weeks.