title: Treatment of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B.
abstract: The goals of therapy in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are to abolish or efficiently suppress viral replication, which represents the main determinant of underlying liver necroinflammation and fibrosis. Currently available agents include interferon-alfa (IFN-alpha), lamivudine, and soon adefovir dipivoxil. A > or = 12-month course of IFN-alpha treatment or retreatment achieves sustained biochemical responses in 15 to 25% of patients with eventual hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss and anti-HBs development in a proportion of them. Lamivudine induces initial virologic and biochemical responses in 70 to 90%, but breakthroughs due to lamivudine-resistant mutants accumulate with continuation of therapy and thus only one third of patients may remain in remission after the third year of therapy. Adefovir dipivoxil also achieves on-therapy responses in the majority of cases. Adefovir dipivoxil and entecavir appear to be effective against lamivudine-resistant strains. Many other antiviral agents and immunomodulatory approaches are currently evaluated for CHB, but, besides IFN-alpha, none has yet been convincingly shown to induce sustained off-therapy responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Hepatology, Henry Dunant Hospital, Athens, Greece. hadziyannis@ath.forthnet.gr
authors.forename: Stephanos J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hadziyannis
authors.forename: George V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Papatheodoridis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vassilopoulos
mesh_terms: D000225:Adenine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis; D063065:Organophosphonates; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011379:Prognosis; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D063065:Organophosphonates; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019259:Lamivudine; D000225:Adenine; C106812:adefovir dipivoxil