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Indication
Chronic hepatitis B Treatment of adult patients with chronic hepatitis B associated with evidence of hepatitis-B viral replication (presence of DNA of hepatitis-B virus (HBV-DNA) and hepatitis-B antigen (HBeAg), elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and histologically proven active liver inflammation and / or fibrosis. Chronic hepatitis C Before initiating treatment with IntronA, consideration should be given to the results from clinical trials comparing IntronA with pegylated interferon.
Adult patients IntronA is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with chronic hepatitis C who have elevated transaminases without liver decompensation and who are positive for hepatitis-C virus-RNA (HCV-RNA). The best way to use IntronA in this indication is in combination with ribavirin. Children three years of age and older and adolescents IntronA is indicated, in a combination regimen with ribavirin, for the treatment of children three years of age and older and adolescents, who have chronic hepatitis C, not previously treated, without liver decompensation, and who are positive for HCV-RNA.
When deciding not to defer treatment until adulthood, it is important to consider that the combination therapy induced a growth inhibition that resulted in reduced final adult height in some patients. The decision to treat should be made on a case-by-case basis. Hairy-cell leukaemia Treatment of patients with hairy cell leukaemia. Chronic myelogenous leukaemia Monotherapy Treatment of adult patients with Philadelphia-chromosome- or bcr/abl-translocation-positive chronic myelogenous leukaemia.
Clinical experience indicates that a haematological and cytogenetic major / minor response is obtainable in the majority of patients treated. A major cytogenetic response is defined by < 34 % Ph+ leukaemic cells in the bone marrow, whereas a minor response is ? 34 %, but < 90 % Ph+ cells in the marrow. Combination therapy The combination of interferon alfa-2b and cytarabine (Ara-C) administered during the first 12 months of treatment has been demonstrated to significantly increase the rate of major cytogenetic responses and to significantly prolong the overall survival at three years when compared to interferon alfa-2b monotherapy.