Peginterferon α
| Peginterferon α | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mass / length primary structure | 19.241 kDa | |
| Identifier | ||
| External IDs |
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| Drug information | ||
| ATC code | L03 AB11 | |
| DrugBank | BTD00043 | |
| Drug class | Interferons | |
Peginterferon α-2a and peginterferon α-2b are PEGylated drugs from the group of interferons . PEGylation means binding of the active ingredient with polyethylene glycol (PEG), which enables a significantly slower release of the active ingredient ( retardation ).
Interferons were discovered in 1957 primarily as cellular defense substances against the spread of viral infections in tissue. Interferons have the property of strengthening a defense reaction of the body against some viral infections through unspecific stimulation of the T lymphocytes . Today, in addition to the antiviral properties, the anti-tumor effect is in the foreground of therapeutic interest.
In the standard therapy of chronic hepatitis C , pegylated interferons are used in combination with ribavirin and sofosbuvir . Peginterferon α-2b was the first pegylated interferon on the market and was approved by the European approval authority for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C on May 25, 2000 under the product name PegIntron ® (then Essex Pharma , today - due to a company merger / merger - MSD ) . Peginterferon α-2b is a monopegylated derivative of interferon α-2b. Peginterferon α-2a was launched in 2002 as a further development of Interferon α-2a, which has been available since 1987, under the trade name Pegasys ® by Roche .
The special property of PEGylated interferons is a slower release of the active ingredient from the bond with polyethylene glycol (PEG). The pegylation process has succeeded in delaying renal clearance and increasing the plasma half-life of interferon α-2b by a factor of 10 (from approx. 4 hours to approx. 40 hours). This delaying effect leads to uniform serum levels, which are necessary for sufficient and sustained stimulation of the defense reaction. An injection now only needs to be given once a week. With the combination therapy with peginterferon α-2b / peginterferon α-2a and ribavirin, the respective dose is adjusted to the patient's body weight.
In patients with chronic hepatitis C (genotype 2 or 3), a cure can be achieved in about 75% with combination therapy for six months. Patients with HCV genotypes 1 and 4 must be treated for twelve months, but still only achieve a cure rate of 50%. Even “hard-to-treat” patients, such as B. HIV / HCV co-infected patients who, due to the increased risk of hepatotoxicity of HAART, have a special urgency for therapy, can be treated successfully.
Since October 30, 2007, there has been an extension of the approval of the European Medicines Agency for the combination therapy with peginterferon α-2b and ribavirin , which so far has not been successful in re-therapy for relapse patients and non-responders who respond to therapy with (pegylated) interferon / ribavirin addressed, allowed. The approval extension is valid in all member states of the EU as well as in Iceland and Norway. Peginterferon α-2a is also approved as monotherapy for the treatment of hepatitis B.
Peginterferon α has been on the WHO list of essential drugs since 2013 .
Web links
- Public Assessment Report (EPAR) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for: Pegasys
- Public Assessment Report (EPAR) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for: PegIntron
- Renate Leinmüller: Chronic hepatitis C: pegylated interferon improves response rate. In: Dtsch Arztebl. 2002; 99 (46): A-3121 / B-2630 / C-2334.