Interferon: A Sharp Sword to Overcome HCV or HBV-Related Liver Diseases?

We read with great interest the article entitled “the comparative efficacy and safety of peginterferon alpha-2a vs. 2b for the treatment of chronic hcv infection: a meta-analysis” by alavian et al. (1). published in hepatitis monthly. in this article, the authors performed an elegant metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials to compare the different effects (including efficacy and safety) of using two types of peginterferon, alpha-2a (pegifn- α2a) and 2b (peg-ifn-α2b) in the treatment of chronic hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection. by pooling data from 7 randomized controlled trials, the authors concluded that peg-ifn-α2a with similar safety is more effective than peg-ifn-α2b; and that a longer duration of maximum serum concentration compared with peg-ifn-α2b yields a greater sustained virological response and higher neutropenia in peg-ifn-α 2a recipients. these analysis results are of important clinical directive significance for using interferon alpha (ifn-α) to treat hcv-related liver diseases.