Purpose / DescriptionIn this multicenter study performed in the United States, investigators sought to evaluate the efficacy of peginterferon alfa-2b 1.5 mcg/kg weekly plus ribavirin starting at 1000 mg daily for 12 weeks followed by 800 mg daily among blacks compared with non-Hispanic whites. They reported significantly lower sustained virologic response (SVR) rates among blacks (19%) compared with whites (52%, p<0.001); this disparity in SVR rates was explained primarily by race, and not socioeconomic status or genotype. The types and frequency of adverse events were similar in the two groups. This study clearly showed that black patients wiht genotype 1 infection have a lower response to treatment with peginterferon plus ribavirin than non-Hispanic whites.