Continuous Long-Term Entecavir Therapy in Naive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Showing Partial Virologic Response.
- Author:
Dae Hun KWON
1
;
In Hee KIM
;
Bum Su CHOUNG
;
Dae Seon AHN
;
Sun Ho YOO
;
Sang Bae PARK
;
Seok LEE
;
Seong Hun KIM
;
Sang Wook KIM
;
Yong Jin IM
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea. ihkimmd@jbnu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords:
Hepatitis B;
Chronic;
Entecavir;
Partial;
Response
- MeSH:
Adult;
Alanine Transaminase/blood;
Antiviral Agents/*administration & dosage;
DNA, Viral/*blood;
Drug Resistance, Viral/genetics;
Female;
Guanine/administration & dosage/*analogs & derivatives;
Hepatitis B e Antigens/blood;
*Hepatitis B virus/genetics;
Hepatitis B, Chronic/*drug therapy;
Humans;
Male;
Middle Aged;
Retrospective Studies;
Time Factors;
Viral Load
- From:Gut and Liver
2013;7(6):712-718
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated the efficacy of continuous long-term entecavir 0.5 mg treatment in naive chronic hepatitis B patients showing a partial virologic response (PVR). METHODS: A total of 227 patients were included. PVR was defined as a more than 1 log10 IU/mL decline in detectable serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR; > or =20 IU/mL) at week 48. A complete virologic response (CVR) was defined as undetectable serum HBV DNA by PCR (<20 IU/mL) at week 48. RESULTS: At week 48, the rate of the PVR was 64/227 (28.2%). Among patients with PVR, the cumulative rates of virologic response (serum HBV DNA <20 IU/mL) at weeks 96 and 144 were 45.2% and 73.8%, respectively. The cumulative rates of genotypic resistance were not significantly different between patients with a PVR and patients with a CVR (p=0.057). However, the cumulative rates of virologic breakthrough were higher in patients with PVR than in patients with CVR (4% vs 0% and 11.2% vs 0% at weeks 96 and 144, respectively; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term continuous entecavir 0.5 mg treatment in patients with a PVR resulted in an additional virologic response without a significant increase in genotypic resistance. However, the rate of virologic breakthrough was higher in the partial responders.