Purpose / DescriptionThis phase 4 study was a single-arm, open-label trial that assessed the safety and efficacy of 24 weeks of peginterferon alfa-2b 1.5 mcg/kg once weekly plus weight-based ribavirin 800-1400 mg/day in treatment-naïve patients with genotype 2 or 3 HCV infection. A sustained virologic response (SVR) was achieved in 93% of genotype 2 and 79% of genotype 3 patients with this regimen, comparable to the historical SVR rate of 84% with 48 weeks of therapy among genotype 2 and 3 patients. A lower pre-treatment HCV viral level, treatment duration of at least 16 weeks and minimal or no steatosis (less than 5%) were all independent predictors of SVR. Adverse events that required dose reduction or treatment interruption occurred in 18% patients.