Safety and efficacy of Qurse-e-istisqua in chronic hepatitis C Infection: An exploratory study

Abstract

Background:Qurse-e-istisqua (Q-e-I), an Unani medicine commonly prescribed to treat liver disorders.Objectives:To study efficacy and safety of Q-e-I in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.Methods:In this randomized double-blind exploratory study, 60 naive patients of HCV infection were assigned to receive either interferonα2a (IFNα2a) (3 mIU, subcutaneous, thrice weekly), ribavirin (RBV) (1000 mg, orally, twice daily in divided doses) and placebo (n = 30) or IFNα2a, RBV and Q-e-I (5 g, orally, thrice daily in divided doses) (n = 30). HCV RNA levels, serum hyaluronic acid (SHA), ultrasound image scoring for fibrosis, liver and renal function test, prothrombin time, were done at the baseline and thereafter periodically.Results:Early virologic response (EVR), end of treatment response (ETR) and sustained virologic response (SVR) were 90%, 96.6% and 90% in the control group and 86.6%, 90.0% and 83.3% in the treatment group. SHA level was lower in the treatment group at the end of the treatment as compared to the control group. Mean end of follow-up ultrasound image scoring for fibrosis in the control and the treatment group was 1.37 ± 0.07 and 1.22 ± 0.06 respectively. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were significantly lower in the treatment group than the control group at 1-month. Commonly observed adverse drug reactions included fever, hair fall, fatigue, anemia, and diarrhea.Conclusion:Q-e-I was well tolerated and showed anti-fibrotic activity. EVR, ETR and SVR suggested that Q-e-I do not have any anti-HCV activity. Early recovery in AST and inhibition of progress of fibrosis in Q-e-I group was probably due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of its ingredients.

Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Hepatitis C Viral Infections in Tertiary Centres in Sulaimani City / Kurdistan Region of Iraq

“…Our result may be due to the patients had no commitment with the prescriptive antiviral drugs. In the present study 78.9% of the patients had elevated AST this figure is inconsistent with a study was conducted in New Delhi [28]. Moreover, a survey was performed in urban areas of Antananarivo-Madagascar found high aminotransferase ALT and AST activity was significantly associated with anti-HCV positivity, and patients with active HCV infection [17].…”

Clinical Pharmacology in India-A Systematic Review of Research in the Past 5 Years

“…In a clinical study for one of the complementary and alternative medicines, Qurse-e-istisqua (Q-e-I), a Unani medicine commonly prescribed to treat liver disorders, patients with HCV hepatitis were randomized to receive either standard of care alone or in combination with Q-e-I (Rehan et al, 2015) . The authors concluded that the medication did not affect viral replication but had anti-fibrotic effect.…”