Management of hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialysis patients

Table 2 Current recommendations for antiviral treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in maintenance hemodialysis patients with kidney failure[1,54,56,57]

Drug	Dosage	Notes
ST-IFNα-2a	3 million units, three times a week	Usually 48 wk for HCV genotypes 1 and 4, and 24 wk for HCV genotypes 2 and 3, or receiving response-guided treatment A more reduced dose, a longer interval between two injections, or temporary cessation of IFNα should be considered in patients with severe side effects such as dangerous bone marrow suppression
ST-IFNα-2b	3 million units, three times a week
PEG-IFNα-2a	135 μg, once a week
PEG-IFNα-2b	1 μg/kg, once a week
Ribavirin	200 mg, once a day, every other day, or thrice weekly after hemodialysis	Ribavirin is applied in combination with interferon, and should be prohibited if severe anemia or other adverse effects occurs

HCV: Hepatitis C virus; ST-IFNα: Standard interferon alpha; PEG-IFNα: Pegylated interferon alpha.