Authors: Olga Khafisova, Natalia Mazurchik, Olga Tarasova, Pavel Ogurtsov.
Aim: To investigate whether adding metformin, a potent agent reducing insulin resistance (IR), improves treatment efficacy of chronic hepatitis C (genotype 1) naïve patients.
Methods: 133 patients were analyzed: 70 patients with IR and 63 patients without it. 28 of 70 patients with IR received metformin. Metformin was added to conventional Peg-IFNα-2b/ribavirin therapy, or 3-6 months before the starting of antiviral treatment and continue throughout the course of therapy. Patients in the second (control) group with IR did not receive metformin (n=42). Patients receiving and not receiving metformin did not differ significantly by gender, the average of viral load and the degree of liver fibrosis (measured with using FibroScan®502).
Results: Among the patients with HCV-1 without IR, SVR rate was 46% (n=29/63), and in patients with HCV-1 with IR (not receiving metformin), SVR was achieved in 42% of patients (n=18/42), p=0,33. In patients with HCV-1 and IR, receiving metformin, the SVR rate was 64% (n=18/28), p=0,001.
Conclusion: Correction of IR with using of metformin has led to an increase of SVR in HCV-1 patients by 1.5 times. Significant reduction of glucose levels in patients with IR receiving metformin, wasn’t noted. Thus, metformin is safe for use in patients with chronic hepatitis C and IR as a medication reducing IR.
View/Download pdf