Combination Therapy for Hepatitis B

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APRIL  2002 VIRAL HEPATITIS B- Combination Therapy for Hepatitis B



A M Di Bisceglie



Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo, USA



Hepatitis B virus is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Effective therapies were first introduced in the mid-1980s but frequent and sometimes severe side effects limit their use. Combination therapy represents the future of treatment for chronic hepatitis B, probably consisting of two or more nucleoside analogues although interferon may form part of some combinations. New drugs acting by different antiviral mechanisms may be particularly potent in combination. (Gut 50:443-445, 2002).