Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Aug;3(4):605-12.

Time for an active antiviral therapy for hepatitis B: An update on the management of hepatitis B virus infection

Hee Bok Chae, Hie-Won Hann

Time for an active antiviral therapy for hepatitis B: An update on the management of hepatitis B virus infection

Hee Bok Chae et al. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2007 Aug.

Abstract

Significant advances in the management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) have been made over the past decade. During this period we have witnessed improvements in survival as well as reduction of disease progression in CHB patients due to the introduction of effective antiviral therapy. The need for effective antiviral therapy is underscored by the results of the REVEAL-HBV study in which 3653 hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers were followed over 12 year period. This study demonstrated that a persistently elevated serum HBV DNA level was the most important risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The ultimate goal of antiviral therapy for CHB patients should include halting the progression to cirrhosis and its life threatening complications and in preventing/reducing the development of HCC. An earlier study of 651 CHB patients with cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis from countries in Asia also demonstrated that treatment with lamivudine (LVD) not only delayed disease progression but also reduced the development of HCC. These landmark studies reaffirm the need for active antiviral therapy for CHB. Current treatment options for patients with CHB include interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogues. As we gain experience with these agents, it has become increasingly clear that long-term therapy benefits patients with CHB.

Keywords: adefovir; entecavir; lamivudine; pegylated interferon; telbivudine; tenofovir.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Barbon V, Marzano A, Carenzi M, et al. Treatment with adefovir alone or in combination with lamivudine in chronic hepatitis B lamivudine-resistant patients: results after two years. J Hepatol. 2006;44:S178.
    1. Bzowej N, Chan HLY, Lai CL, et al. A randomized trial of telbivudine (LdT) vs adefovir for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B: final week 52 results. Hepatology. 2006;44:563A.
    1. Chae HB, Hann HW. Baseline HBV DNA level is the most important factor associated with viral breakthrough (BT) during lamivudine (LVD) therapy for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) Gastroenterology. 2006;130:A846. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chang T-T, Chao Y-C, Kaymakoglu S, et al. Entecavir maintained virologic suppression through 3 years of treatment in antiviral naïve HBeAg(+) patients. Hepatology. 2006a;44:229A.
    1. Chang T-T, Gish RG, de Man R, et al. A comparison of entecavir and lamivudine for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B. N Engl J Med. 2006b;354:1001–10. - PubMed