Efficacy of adding metformin to pegylated interferon and ribavirin in treatment naive patients with chronic hepatitis C: a randomized double-blind controlled trial.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND Evidence indicates that insulin resistance results in poor sustained viral response (SVR) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Metformin is an oral hypoglycemic agent which improves insulin resistance. METHODS We sought to determine if the addition of metformin to the treatment regimen could improve SVR in treatment-naïve CHC patients in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. We randomized 140 consecutive CHC patients to receive either metformin 500 mg three times a day or placebo in addition to pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV). Only treatment-naïve subjects aged between 15 and 65 years of age were included. SVR was defined as no detectable HCV RNA six months after the end of treatment.Subjects who received at least one dose of PEG-IFN wer

SUBMITTER: Sharifi AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4005479 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature