title: Combination therapy for chronic hepatitis B: simultaneous or sequential?
abstract: Various regimens of combination or sequential therapy using nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NAs) and interferon-alfa (IFN-alpha) have been tried for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. To date, combination therapy of two NAs and of IFN-alpha and NAs fails to achieve extra viral suppression. Sequential therapy with lamivudine followed by IFN-alpha seems to have better sustained virologic response. However, the long-term beneficial effect of using this approach remains to be defined.
authors.forename: Man-Fung
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.forename: Ching-Lung
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lai
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019259:Lamivudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019259:Lamivudine