Pegylated interferon alfa-2a, sold under the brand name Pegasys among others, is medication used to treat

hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

and hepatitis B. For hepatitis C it is typically used together with ribavirin and cure rates are between 24 and 92%. For hepatitis B it may be used alone. It is given by injection under the skin. Side effects are common. They may include headache, feeling tired, depression, trouble sleeping, hair loss, nausea, pain at the site of injection, and fever. Severe side effects may include psychosis, autoimmune disorders,

blood clots A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of cr ...

, or infections. Use with ribavirin is not recommended during pregnancy. Pegylated interferon alfa-2a is in the

alpha interferon The type-I interferons (IFN) are cytokines which play essential roles in inflammation, immunoregulation, tumor cells recognition, and T-cell responses. In the human genome, a cluster of thirteen functional IFN genes is located at the 9p21.3 cyt ...

family of medications. It is pegylated to protect the molecule from breakdown. Pegylated interferon alfa-2a was approved for medical use in the United States in 2002. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.

Medical uses

This drug is approved around the world for the treatment of chronic

(including people with HIV co-infection, cirrhosis, 'normal' levels of

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) and has recently been approved (in the EU, U.S.,

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and many other countries) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. It is also used in the treatment of certain T-cell lymphomas, particularly mycosis fungoides. Peginterferon alfa-2a is a long acting interferon. Interferons are

proteins Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

released in the body in response to viral infections.

Interferon Interferons (IFNs, ) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten the ...

s are important for fighting viruses in the body, for regulating reproduction of

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, and for regulating the immune system.

Host genetic factors

For genotype 1 hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon alfa-2a or

pegylated interferon alfa-2b Pegylated interferon alfa-2b is a drug used to treat melanoma, as an adjuvant therapy to surgery. Also used to treat hepatitis C (typically, in combination with ribavarin), it is no longer recommended due to poor efficacy and adverse side-effec ...

combined with ribavirin, it has been shown that 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'', 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. Another report in Nature demonstrated the same genetic variants are also associated with the natural clearance of the genotype 1 hepatitis C virus.

Other infections

Has also been used for Middle East respiratory syndrome and hepatitis E.

Manufacture

It is pegylated with a branched 40 kg/mol PEG chain. The drug has been manufactured under the brand name Pegasys by Roche Pharmaceuticals. Due to changes in clinical practice - antiviral hepatitis drugs such as

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have become much more important - Roche announced in 2020 that it would withdraw Pegasys from the market worldwide, but subsequently sold the worldwide rights to pharma&, an

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Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

pharmaceutical company that ensures supply in the medium and long term almost worldwide (excluding China and Japan).

Research

A Cochrane Review sought to determine whether interferon alfa-2a could be used as a treatment for individuals with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. They found no evidence of improved visual acuity with potential harm.

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar , Medicine , Viruses Antiviral drugs Immunostimulants World Health Organization essential medicines Hoffmann-La Roche brands Genentech brands