Background
Pegylated interferon (interferon alfa-2a (PEG-IFN)) is a long-acting experimental form of interferon that can be administered once a week.

Objective
To compare the safety and effectiveness of the following 3 treatment regimens in individuals with chronic Hepatitis C:

•PEG-IFN with ribavirin versus
•PEG-IFN alone versus
•Interferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin

Study Design
This is a 48 week randomized, partially blinded (to ribavirin) research study. All study drug and laboratory tests will be provided at no charge.

Inclusion Criteria
1) Interferon treatment naive
2) Liver biopsy within the last 15 months
3) HCV antibody-positive with HCV RNA > 1,000 copies/ml
4) Elevated serum ALT with compensated liver disease
5) HIV infection on stable therapy with CD4 > 100

For more information please contact Dr. Jacob Lalezari of Quest Clinical Research at (415) 353-0800