Long-Term Outcome of Sequential Therapy with Lamivudine Followed by Interferon-β in Nucleoside-Naive, Hepatitis B e-Antigen-Positive Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Genotype C Infection To cite this article:
Enomoto Masaru, Nishiguchi Shuhei, Tamori Akihiro, Kozuka Ritsuzo, Hayashi Takehiro, Kohmoto Madoka Toyama, Jomura Hisato, Morikawa Hiroyasu, Murakami Yoshiki, Shiomi Susumu, and Kawada Norifumi. Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research. August 2015, 35(8): 613-620. doi:10.1089/jir.2014.0234.
Published in Volume: 35 Issue 8: August 5, 2015
Author information
Masaru Enomoto,1
Shuhei Nishiguchi,2
Akihiro Tamori,1
Ritsuzo Kozuka,1
Takehiro Hayashi,1
Madoka Toyama Kohmoto,1
Hisato Jomura,3
Hiroyasu Morikawa,1
Yoshiki Murakami,1
Susumu Shiomi,4 and Norifumi Kawada1
1Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan.
2Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan.
3Department of Internal Medicine, Wakakoukai Clinic, Osaka, Japan.
4Department of Nuclear Medicine, Osaka City University Medical School, Osaka, Japan.
Address correspondence to:
Dr. Masaru Enomoto
Department of Hepatology
Osaka City University Medical School1-4-3 Asahimachi
Abeno-ku
Osaka 545-8585
Japan
E-mail: [email protected]
Received 24 December 2014
Accepted 12 February 2015
ABSTRACT
It is unclear whether the combination of a nucleos(t)ide analog and interferon (IFN) is superior to monotherapy for treating chronic hepatitis B. In this study, we report the long-term outcomes of sequential therapy using lamivudine followed by IFN-β. This study included 24 hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C infection who were treated with lamivudine alone for 16–32 weeks, then with both IFN-β and lamivudine for 4 weeks, and finally with IFN-β alone for 20 weeks. All patients were followed up for 7.1±2.8 years post-treatment. The rate of response, defined as transaminase normalization, HBeAg loss, and HBV DNA <104 copies/mL, was 5/24 (21%) at 24 weeks post-treatment. The patients with short-term responses were younger than those with no response (P=0.039). More short-term responders had undetectable HBV DNA at the start of IFN-β compared with the nonresponders (P=0.0059). Subsequently, 4 of the 5 short-term responders remained free of the need for further drug treatment for 4.2±3.5 years post-treatment; more short-term responders remained drug free than did nonresponders (P=0.035). In conclusion, the rate of response to sequential therapy was limited in HBeAg-positive patients with chronic HBV genotype C infection at 24 weeks post-treatment. In the majority of the short-term responders, however, the response was sustainable in the long term.
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