title: Novel treatment options for hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects between 350 and 400 million people globally. Interferon-alpha, lamivudine and adefovir (Hepsera) are approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B; however, the use of interferon-alpha is limited. Lamivudine and adefovir have excellent antiviral activity and oral bioavailability, although viral rebound after cessation of therapy and development of resistance after long-term therapy with lamivudine are major clinical limitations. Adefovir has proven to be effective against lamivudine-resistant strains in vitro and in vivo. The various steps of HBV replication provide opportunities for new antiviral drugs to interact with the virus. Recent developments, including new antivirals that interfere with viral DNA replication, hold promise for the future. Sustained reduction in viral load and improved treatment of chronic HBV infection could, in future, be achieved by the development of new drugs with different mechanisms of action and resistance profiles, and with combination therapy involving two or more nucleosides with or without immunomodulators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2H7, Canada. rakesh.kumar@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Babita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Agrawal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents