A.OVERVIEW This is a 26 week study examining the ability of paroxetine (Paxil) to prevent the development of depression and neurotoxicity in patients receiving either 3 million units of subcutaneous IFN(interferon-alpha-2b) 3 times/week (plus ribavirin, 1000-1200 mg/d)) or PEG (polyethylene glycol) interferon-alpha-2b (1.5 micrograms/kg one time a week) and ribavirin (800 to 1,400 mg a day) for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The IFN plasma half life (t1/2 of 24 to 34 hours) of PEG, a CHC treatment recently approved by the FDA, is significantly prolonged allowing for once a week dosing. Studies indicate that the side effect profile of the two forms of IFN-alpha treatment are very similar. CHC patients will be screened for study eligibility, and a total of 100 CHC patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years old will be enrolled across three sites (30 at Emory site and a combination of 30 from the University of Pennsylvania, Rush-Presbyterian-Saint Lukes Medical Center in Chicago and Montefiore Medical Center in New York.) Two weeks prior to treatment with subcutaneous IFN-alpha-2b, patients who meet inclusion and exclusion criteria will be stratified on the basis of a history of major depression and then randomly assigned to paroxetine or placebo in double blind fashion.
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Depressive Symptom Scores
Development of Major Depression