Acyclovir, oral, intravenous and combined with interferon for chronic HBeAg-positive hepatitis.
Chronic hepatitis B patients with active viral replication were treated with acyclovir, either orally 800 mg 4 times daily, or intravenously 15 mg/kg twice daily; duration of treatment was 4 weeks. A second course of intravenous acyclovir (15 mg/kg twice daily for 2 weeks) was given to 5 patients in combination with intramuscular lymphoblastoid alpha-interferon treatment (2.5 MU/m2, once daily). Oral acyclovir had no detectable effect on DNA-polymerase or HBeAg. Intravenous acyclovir alone depressed HBV replication and HBeAg, followed by prolonged negativity of DNA-polymerase in 4 out of 11 patients. Combination therapy of acyclovir with interferon had a significantly greater fall in DNA-polymerase and HBeAg than acyclovir alone. Apart from thrombophlebitis, therapy with acyclovir was tolerated well provided fluid intake was more than 2 litres daily. The combination therapy of acyclovir with interferon appears the most promising for conversion of a state of active viral replication into virus latency.
D000212:Acyclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000628:therapy*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D007370:Interferon Type I; D000212:Acyclovir