title: Treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B with adefovir dipivoxil.
abstract: Adefovir dipivoxil, a nucleotide analog of adenosine monophosphate, is an antiviral agent that suppresses hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication through inhibition of DNA polymerase and by chain termination. To determine the effectiveness of adefovir, three populations of patients with chronic hepatitis B patients were studied: hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients, HBeAg-negative patients, and patients with lamivudine-resistant tyrosine-methionine-asparate-aspartate (YMDD) mutants. All three groups of patients were treated for 48 weeks with adefovir 10 mg/d, and significant reduction in serum HBV DNA and normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were noted. Significant improvement in liver histology was noted in HBeAg-positive and in HBeAg-negative patients. Significant HBeAg loss and HBeAg seroconversion rates were noted in HBeAg-positive patients and in lamivudine-resistant patients. No major drug-related side effects were noted. Adefovir 10 mg/d orally is safe and effective for treatment of chronic hepatitis B.
authors.affiliation: Liver Center, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, California 91105, USA. myrontong@hmri.org
authors.forename: Myron J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Stanley S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Tu
mesh_terms: D000225:Adenine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009154:Mutation; D063065:Organophosphonates; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D063065:Organophosphonates; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019259:Lamivudine; D000225:Adenine; C106812:adefovir dipivoxil