Peginterferon alfa-2a

Peginterferon alfa-2a
Peginterferon alfa-2a
Clinical data
AHFS/Drugs.com Consumer Drug Information
MedlinePlus a605029
Pregnancy cat.  ?
Legal status  ?
Routes subcutaneous
Identifiers
CAS number 215647-85-1 N
ATC code L03AB11
L03AB61 (in combinations)
DrugBank BTD00043
UNII Q46947FE7K N
KEGG D02748 YesY
ChEMBL CHEMBL1201560 N
Chemical data
Formula C860H1353N227O255S9 
Mol. mass 19241 g/mol (unpegylated)
40000 g/mol (pegylated)
 N(what is this?)  alfa-2a (verify)

Pegylated interferon alfa-2a (pegylated with a branched 40 kDa PEG chain; commercial name Pegasys) is an antiviral drug discovered at the pharmaceutical company F. Hoffmann-La Roche; it has a dual mode of action - both antiviral and on the immune system. The addition of polyethylene glycol to the interferon, through a process known as pegylation, enhances the half-life of the interferon when compared to its native form.

Contents

Uses

This drug is approved around the world for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (including patients with HIV co-infection, cirrhosis, 'normal' levels of ALT) and has recently been approved (in the EU, U.S., China and many other countries) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

Peginterferon alfa-2a is a long acting interferon. Interferons are proteins released in the body in response to viral infections. Interferons are important for fighting viruses in the body, for regulating reproduction of cells, and for regulating the immune system.[citation needed]

Host genetic factors influencing treatment response

For genotype 1 hepatitis C treated with Pegylated interferon-alpha-2a or Pegylated interferon-alpha-2b (brand names Pegasys or PEG-Intron) combined with ribavirin, it has been shown genetic polymorphisms near the human IL28B gene, encoding interferon lambda 3, are associated with significant differences in response to the treatment. This finding, originally reported in Nature [1], showed genotype 1 hepatitis C patients carrying certain genetic variant alleles near the IL28B gene are more likely to achieve sustained virological response after the treatment than others. Later report from Nature [2] demonstrated the same genetic variants are also associated with the natural clearance of the genotype 1 hepatitis C virus.

See also

References

  1. ^ Ge D, Fellay J, Thompson AJ, et al. (2009). "Genetic variation in IL28B predicts hepatitis C treatment-induced viral clearance". Nature 461 (7262): 399–401. doi:10.1038/nature08309. PMID 19684573. 
  2. ^ Thomas DL, Thio CL, Martin MP, et al. (2009). "Genetic variation in IL28B and spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus". Nature 461 (7265): 798–801. doi:10.1038/nature08463. PMID 19759533. 

External links