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BACKGROUNDHCV-induced chronic hepatitis is a major health problem world-wide because of its propensity to progress to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. 1±3 Until recently, interferon-a has been the only approved pharmacological treatment for chronic hepatitis C in the United States and Europe. However, many patients do not respond to treatment and roughly two thirds of those who respond will relapse after discontinuing treatment. 4 The combination of interferon-a and ribavirin has been shown to signi®cantly improve the response rate to interferon-a monotherapy, both in relapsers to a previous interferon-a course and in naive patients. 5,6 Yet this combination is associated with signi®cant side-effects and the overall results are unsatisfactory, as sustained responders still represent less than half of the patients. Thus, there is an obvious need for more effective forms of therapy. SUMMARYBackground: The prognosis of chronic hepatitis depends on the progression of hepatic ®brosis. Aim: To investigate whether the anti®brotic drug colchicine, in combination with interferon-a has a role in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Methods: Sixty-®ve HCV±RNA positive patients with chronic hepatitis were randomized to receive interferona, 6 MU t.i.w. for 6 months followed by 3 MU t.i.w. for further 6 months, with or without the adjunct of colchicine, 1 mg o.d., 6 days a week, for 3 years. We report an interim analysis after the ®rst 18 months. Results: Thirty-four patients received interferon-a and 31 received interferon-a and colchicine. The two groups were comparable for baseline data, including HCV±RNA levels, genotypes and histological grading/staging. Drop-outs and side-effects were similar. The proportion

In genotypes 1/4 patients without EVR, triple therapy results in higher SVR rates than standard dual therapy. This study confirms that addition of amantadine is beneficial in early-recognized 'difficult-to-treat' patients.

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