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- Title
Re-treatment of patients with anti-HBe-positive chronic hepatitis B who relapsed after an initial course of lamivudine.
- Authors
Niro, G. A.; Santantonio, T.; Fontana, R.; Insalata, M.; Facciorusso, D.; Signorile, F.; Perri, F.; Guastadisegni, A.; Gioffreda, D.; Palmieri, O.; Pastore, G.; Andriulli, A.
- Abstract
: To evaluate the efficacy of a long-term course of lamivudine monotherapy in patients with anti-HBe-positive chronic hepatitis B who relapsed after the first course of either lamivudine/interferon ( n = 16; Group 1) or lamivudine ( n = 20; Group 2). : Biochemical and virological tests were performed every 3 months. At baseline and breakthrough, the region coding for the YMDD amino acid motif was sequenced. : The length of re-treatment averaged 24 months. The virological response peaked at 6 months (94.4%), and declined to 66.7% and 50% at 12 and 24 months, respectively. The rates of breakthrough were 2.9%, 31.4% and 48.6% at 6, 12 and 24 months, respectively. By the second year, responders amounted to 62.5% and 40% in Groups 1 and 2, respectively ( P = 0.10). The 18 responders at month 24 are still on therapy after 25–51 months of treatment: 14 still maintain a response, nine from Group 1 and five from Group 2. : Re-treatment with lamivudine can control viral replication. This effect is maintained for the initial 12 months in two-thirds of patients, but afterwards the duration of response lessens due to the development of viral resistance.
- Subjects
HEPATITIS B treatment; ANTIVIRAL agents; INTERFERONS; HEPATITIS B virus
- Publication
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2003, Vol 18, Issue 9, p933
- ISSN
0269-2813
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1046/j.1365-2036.2003.01787.x