— Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate
Is it possible to stop antiviral treatment once patients with
HBeAg-negative hepatitis B reach undetectable viral load? No, according
to a study published in the May issue of the medical journal Gut.
Chinese researchers stopped entecavir treatment
in 184 patients (average age 54, 67.9% male), after they had gone for
more than two years with undetectable viral load while on treatment.
Their viral loads and HBsAg were monitored every six to 12 weeks for 48
weeks after treatment ended.
The results were disheartening, after 24 weeks
74.2% of the patients had a resurgence of HBV DNA exceeding 2,000 IU/mL
and after 48 weeks ,91.4% of patients had relapsed with elevated viral
loads.
Notably, the doctors had stopped the entecavir
treatment in accordance with the Asia-Pacific Association for the Study
of the Liver guidelines, which call for halting antivirals if patients
maintain an undetectable viral load over 18 months.
"Entecavir cessation in Asian HBeAg-negative
(patients) resulted in high rates of virologic relapse, suggesting
(antiviral) therapy should be continued indefinitely until ... HBsAg
seroclearance," they wrote.
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24833635
HBV Journal Review — June 1, 2014, Vol 11, no 6
Labels: HBeAg-Negative, relapse
