Natural Interferon Alfa for Treatment of Condylomata Acuminata
- Alvin E. Friedman-Kien, MD;
- Lawrence J. Eron, MD;
- Marcus Conant, MD;
- William Growdon, MD;
- Helen Badiak;
- Patricia W. Bradstreet;
- David Fedorczyk, MS;
- J. Richard Trout, PhD;
- Terry F. Plasse, MD
- From the Department of Dermatology, New York University Medical Center (Dr Friedman-Kien); The Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, Va (Dr Eron); the Department of Dermatology, University of California at San Francisco Medical Center (Dr Conant); the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UCLA Center for Health Sciences (Dr Growdon); Interferon Sciences, Inc (Mss Badiak and Bradstreet, Mr Fedorczyk, and Dr Plasse), and the Department of Statistics, Cook College, Rutgers University (Dr Trout), New Brunswick, NJ.
Abstract
The activity of natural (leukocyte) interferon alfa in the treatment of condylomata acuminata was assessed in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Interferon alfa (Alferon N Injection) or placebo was injected into lesions twice weekly for up to eight weeks. Eighty-six patients were given interferon alfa, and 72 were given placebo. Eighty-six percent of interferon alfa—treated patients and 89% of placebo-treated patients had received previous therapy for condylomata acuminata. Side effects, usually flulike symptoms, occurred briefly after the injections; if present, they disappeared before the end of the third week of therapy. Treatment completely eliminated warts in 62% of interferon alfa—treated patients compared with only 21% of placebo-treated patients. Natural interferon alfa given intralesionally is an effective and safe treatment even in patients with recurrent or recalcitrant genital warts.
(JAMA 1988;259:533-538)
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, 530 First Ave, New York, NY 10016 (Dr Friedman-Kien).
