What is the difference between interferon alpha 2a and 2b

This resembles the interferon produced by the human leukocyte. The commercially available interferon alpha 2A is a pegylated one. In the process of pegylation, interferon alpha 2A conjugates with the polyethene glycol which increases the duration in which the drug stays in the body. The interferon alpha 2A binds to the interferon receptor molecule to activate MHC class I molecules against viral agents.

The dose of interferon alpha 2A treatment depends on the different viral infections. Further, interferon alpha 2A treatment administers on a weekly basis. However, in the treatment procedure, the weight of the patient does not consider since it is not applicable. Due to long-term exposure to interferon alpha 2A, the following side effects may be observed such as anaemia, autoimmune diseases, cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and peripheral neuropathy, etc.

Interferon alpha 2B is another type of recombinant interferon. When interferon alpha 2B acts upon a virus, it activates the immune system against the virus. The recombinant variety mimics the natural interferons produced by the leukocytes. The nature of interferon alpha 2B is similar to the interferon alpha 2A. In this subgroup, alfa-2b had higher a SVR rate, although the interaction was not significant. In general, the amount of a drug in the body tends to decrease as body weight increases; however, in this study, the amount of PEG-IFN alfa-2b in the body was constant regardless of body weight because the dosage was adjusted for body weight.

This may be because the patients treated with PEG-IFN alfa-2b received a dosage based on body weight, whereas patients treated with PEG-IFN alfa-2a were treated with a fixed dosing regimen, without accounting for weight.

We found that proportions of adverse events, such as thrombocytopenia, retinopathy, and anemia, were higher in patients treated with PEG-IFN alfa-2a. In the RCTs, the subjects may have been selected from patients in good condition or from those who were expected to adhere to the study treatment. Our data suggests that hematological abnormalities, such as thrombocytopenia, may develop in actual medical care situations, because we used data obtained from the database of medical records from patients receiving IFN treatment.

Further, our results are consistent with the previous study 18 evaluating pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The strengths of our study include the large sample size, the use of data collected from actual medical settings, and the inclusion of patients with all types of HCV genotype infections and patients with or without previous treatment experience.

Our study also has several limitations. First, there were residual confounders, which could persist due to unmeasured or imprecisely measured potential confounding factors. To adjust for potential confounders, we used multivariable logistic regression. Secondly, there was a reporting bias because the data were recorded by practitioners using a standardized report form.

Additional studies are needed to validate the data, using an alternative existing database source eg, electronic medical records database or claims database. Thirdly, the viral load levels might have been misclassified because the measurement methods for HCV RNA in this database differed depending on the time of therapy. Finally, further studies are required to assess the rate of SVR between the two medications in combination with simeprevir, a new agent for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, because the current standard therapy for chronic hepatitis C is triple therapy with PEG-IFN alfa-2a or alfa-2b , RBV, and simeprevir.

The great contributions of the 36 prefectural members and all of the medical staff engaged in long-term IFN treatment and data collection are particularly acknowledged. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Drug Des Devel Ther. Published online Dec Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Abstract Purpose We aimed to compare the rates of sustained virologic response SVR achieved with peginterferon PEG-IFN alfa-2a and alfa-2b in combination with ribavinin RBV for chronic hepatitis C, using a large database of hepatitis cases to improve the generalizability of these results.

Results A total of 16, patients were recorded in the Japanese Interferon Database. Keywords: sustained virologic response, HCV genotype, sustained virologic response, adverse events.

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Hor, P. Jouany, A. Lavenu, C. Lirzin, G. Pannetier, V. But, peginterferon-alfa-2b requires body weight-based dosing. Peginterferon-alfa-2a has a relatively constant absorption and is mostly distributed in the blood and organs, but peginterferon-alfa-2b has both a rapid absorption and a wider distribution in the body.

Peginterferon-alfa-2a is one of the two forms of modified interferons important in the treatment of HCV. Generally, it contains a branched-chain, 40 kDa PEG chain, which is covalently attached to the lysine residues of the interferon. Thus, a significant feature of it is the stability, which aids in circulating the peginterferon-alfa-2a as an intact molecule. Therefore, it has a longer half-life. On that account, it can be given once a week, independently of the body weight.

In contrast, peginterferon-alfa-2b is the other form of modified interferon used to treat HCV. Also, it undergoes hydrolysis and hence, peginterferon-alfa-2b has a shorter half-life. Thereby, it requires a body weight-based dosing.