Randomised clinical trial: efficacy of peginterferon alfa-2a in HBeAg
positive chronic hepatitis B patients with lamivudine resistance
J. Sun1, J.-L. Hou1, Q. Xie2, X.-H. Li3, J.-M. Zhang4, Y.-M. Wang5, H.
Wang6, J.-Y. Lai7, S.-J. Chen8, J.-D. Jia9, J.-F. Sheng10, H. L. Y. Chan11,
J.-F. Wang12, M. K. K. Li13, M. Jiang14, M. Popescu15, J. J. Y. Sung11
Background Previous studies suggested that a finite course of
peginterferon alfa-2a may offer an alternative rescue therapy for patients
with lamivudine resistance. However, because of the limitation of study
design and small sample size, it is difficult to make definitive
conclusion.
Aim To explore the role of peginterferon alfa-2a, in the rescue
treatment of HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with lamivudine
resistance.
Methods In this randomised study, chronic hepatitis B patients with
lamivudine resistance were treated with peginterferon alfa-2a for 48 weeks
(n = 155) or adefovir for 72 weeks (n = 80). All enrolled patients were
treated with lamivudine for the first 12 weeks.
Results At 6 months posttreatment, 14.6% (18/123) of peginterferon
alfa-2a-treated patients achieved HBeAg seroconversion, in contrast to 3.8%
(3/80) of adefovir-treated patients after 72 weeks continuous therapy (P =
0.01). For peginterferon alfa-2a-treated patients, the rate of HBeAg
seroconversion at week 72 was significantly higher in patients who had
HBsAg decline >0.5 Log10 IU/mL from baseline at week 24, compared with
patients with HBsAg decline ≤0.5 Log10 IU/mL from baseline at week 24
(25.5% vs. 7.7%, P = 0.01). After 72 weeks continuous adefovir treatment,
22.5% of patients achieved HBV DNA <80 IU/mL, compared with 10.6% in
peginterferon alfa-2a-treated patients at 6 months off-treatment (P =
0.02).
Conclusions Overall, the response to peginterferon alfa-2a among
patients with lamivudine resistance was suboptimal. HBeAg seroconversion
rate at week 72 by 48 weeks peginterferon alfa-2a treatment was higher than
continuous adefovir therapy. Monitoring HBsAg levels can help to predict
response to peginterferon alfa-2a.作者: StephenW 时间: 2011-7-22 12:43
Antivirals stop the formation of nucleocapsids and refurbishing of the cccDNA pool inside an infected liver cell. Therefore there will be an initial drop in both HBsAg(less cccDNA) and HBVDNA (less cccDNA + no capsids). After a while, only HBsAg will be produced by the remaining cccDNA.
N.B. This is my own thinking only, I have read no papers that say so. Watch the following diagram carefully, following the arrows. See which paths are blocked by antivirals. I don't have the text to the talk.
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