Completed

A Randomized, Open-label Study of the Effect of PEGASYS and Ribavirin Combination Therapy on Sustained Virologic Response in Interferon-naïve Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 2 or 3 Infection

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What is being tested

Copegus

+ peginterferon alfa-2a [Pegasys]
Drug
Who is being recruted

Blood-Borne Infections
+16

+ Chronic Disease
+ Communicable Diseases
Over 18 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Phase 4
Interventional
Study Start: December 2003
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorHoffmann-La Roche
Last updated: January 18, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner
Study start date: December 1, 2003Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of different durations of treatment with PEGASYS combined with ribavirin in patients with CHC genotype 2 or 3 infection who have never previously received interferon (IFN) therapy. The anticipated time on study treatment is 3-12 months and the target sample size is 500+ individuals.

Official TitleA Randomized, Open-label Study of the Effect of PEGASYS and Ribavirin Combination Therapy on Sustained Virologic Response in Interferon-naïve Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 2 or 3 Infection 
NCT00077636
Principal SponsorHoffmann-La Roche
Last updated: January 18, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details
1469 patients to be enrolledTotal number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.
Treatment Study
These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.

How participants are assigned to different groups/arms
In this clinical study, participants are placed into groups randomly, like flipping a coin. This ensures that the study is fair and unbiased, making the results more reliable. By assigning participants by chance, researchers can better compare treatments without external influences.

Other Ways to Assign Participants
Non-randomized allocation: Participants are assigned based on specific factors, such as their medical condition or a doctor's decision.
None (Single-arm trial): If the study has only one group, all participants receive the same treatment, and no allocation is needed.

How treatments are given to participants
Participants are divided into different groups, each receiving a specific treatment at the same time. This helps researchers compare how well different treatments work against each other.

Other Ways to Assign Treatments
Single-group assignment: Everyone gets the same treatment.
Cross-over assignment: Participants switch between treatments during the study.
Factorial assignment: Participants receive different combinations of treatments.
Sequential assignment: Participants receive treatments one after another in a specific order, possibly based on individual responses.
Other assignment: Treatment assignment does not follow a standard or predefined design.

How the effectiveness of the treatment is controlled
In a non placebo-controlled study, no participants receive an inert substance (placebo) to compare outcomes. Instead, all participants receive either the experimental treatment or an alternative treatment (often the Standard of Care). This method allows researchers to compare the effects of the experimental treatment with those of a different active intervention, rather than a placebo.

Other Options
Placebo-Controlled: A placebo is used to compare the effects of the experimental treatment with those of an inert substance, isolating the true treatment effect.

How the interventions assigned to participants is kept confidential
Everyone involved in the study knows which treatment is being given. This is typically used when it's not possible or necessary to hide the treatment details from participants or researchers.

Other Ways to Mask Information
Single-blind: Participants do not know which treatment they are receiving, but researchers do.
Double-blind: Neither participants nor researchers know which treatment is given.
Triple-blind: Participants, researchers, and outcome assessors do not know which treatment is given.
Quadruple-blind: Participants, researchers, outcome assessors, and care providers all do not know which treatment is given.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria
Any sexBiological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.
Over 18 YearsRange of ages for which participants are eligible to join.
Healthy volunteers not allowedIf individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.
Conditions
Pathology
Blood-Borne Infections
Chronic Disease
Communicable Diseases
Digestive System Diseases
Enterovirus Infections
Hepatitis
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis, Chronic
Hepatitis, Viral, Human
Hepatitis C
Infections
Liver Diseases
Pathologic Processes
Picornaviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Flaviviridae Infections
Hepatitis C, Chronic
Disease Attributes
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * patients \>=18 years of age; * CHC infection (genotype 2 or 3); * liver biopsy (in \<24 calendar months of first dose), with results consistent with CHC infection; * use of 2 forms of contraception during study and 6 months after the study in both men and women. Exclusion Criteria: * women who are pregnant or breastfeeding; * male partners of women who are pregnant; * conditions associated with decompensated liver disease; * other forms of liver disease, including liver cancer; * human immunodeficiency virus infection; * previous treatment with an IFN, pegylated IFN, ribavirin, viramidine, levovirin, or amantadine.

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives
2 intervention groups 

are designated in this study

This study does not include a placebo group 

Treatment Groups
Group I
Experimental

400mg po bid for 16 weeks

180 micrograms sc weekly for 16 weeks
Group II
Experimental

400mg po bid for 16 weeks

180 micrograms sc weekly for 16 weeks
Study Objectives
Primary Objectives

SVR was defined as the percentage of participants with undetectable HCV RNA at 24 weeks after the completion of the study treatment. The negative assessment was required to be the last one collected at or after week 36 (ie, on or after study Day 253) for the 16-week treatment group or at or after week 44 (ie, on or after study Day 309) for the 24-week treatment group.
Secondary Objectives

Virological response was defined as the percentage of participants with undetectable HCV RNA at the completion of the study treatment. The negative assessment was required to be the last one collected in the Week 16 time window for the 16-week treatment group or in the Week 24 time window for the 24-week treatment group.

Virological response 12 weeks post-treatment was defined as the percentage of participants with undetectable HCV RNA 12 weeks after the completion of the study treatment . The negative assessment was required to be the last one collected in the week 28 time window for the 16- week treatment group or in the week 36 time window for the 24-week treatment group.

An adverse event was defined as any untoward medical occurrence that occurred during he course of the trial after study treatment had started. An adverse event was therefore any unfavorable and unintended sign, symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of study drug, whether or not considered related to the study drug.

Participants with changes in Hematocrit: Fraction 0.36 - 0.60 g/dL, Hemoglobin: 11.0 -20.0 g/dL, WBC 3.0 - 18.0 g/dL, Platelets 100 - 700 g/dL, Basophils 0.00 - 0.30 g/dL, Lymphocytes 1.00 - 6.30 g/dL, Monocytes 0.08 - 2.00 g/dL, Neutrophils 1.50 or more g/dL, Eosinophils 0.00 - 1.50 g/dL , PTT 0 - 50 seconds, Alkaline Phosphatase 0 - 190 and ASAT 0 - 50 U/L, ALAT 0 - 60 U/L, Gamma - GT 0 - 120 U/L, Total Protein 55 - 87 g/L ;Albumin 27.0 or more g/L, Total Bilirubin 0 - 34.2 μmol/L, BUN 0 - 14.3 mmol/L, Creatinine 0 - 154 μmol/L, Free T3, T4 5 - 40 pmol/L, TSH 0.0 - 10.0 mU/L, Cholesterol 0.0 - 8.3 mmol/L; Triglycerides 0.00 - 2.83 mmol/L, Chloride 95 - 115 mmol/L; Potassium 3.0 - 6.0 mmol/L; Sodium 130 - 150 mmol/L, miscellaneous: Calcium 2.00 - 2.90 mmol/L; Phosphate 0.75 - 1.60 mmol/L; Blood Glucose (Random) 2.80 - 11.10 mmol/L, Uric Acid 0 - 600 μmol/L, Proteinuria, Glycosuria, Hematuria (Qualitative 0 to 4+) 0 - 1 were analysed for the laboratory abnormality.

Participants with changes in Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate were analysed abnormal vital signs.

Participants with triglyceride level above normal (i.e. \< 200 mg/dL) were analysed.

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.
This study has no location dataSave this study to your profile to know when the location data is available. 
CompletedNo study centers