— Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate
Another study in Italy confirms that adding pegylated interferon
(Pegasys) to ongoing antiviral treatment may clear the hepatitis B
surface antigen (HBsAg). In this case, the patient had hard-to-treat
HBeAg-negative hepatitis B and eventually cleared HBsAg after the
sequential treatment.
Recently, reports are emerging that this sequential approach, which
adds interferon to ongoing antiviral treatment, appears to be highly
successful in clearing the infection.
According to the latest report in the July issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology,
Italian researchers began treating a Caucasian male with HBV genotype D
with lamivudine in 2002. Eventually the antiviral adefovir (Hepsera)
was added to his treatment because of the development of
lamivudine-resistance.
In 2011, because of his liver stiffness/fibrosis
and his young age (44), doctors added the interferon to the ongoing
antiviral treatment for three months. After three months of combination
treatment, doctors stopped the antivirals and treated him with only
interferon for three more months.
The patient's HBsAg levels began to decline one
month after interferon was added, and he completely cleared HBsAg and
achieved undetectable HBV DNA after treatment stopped. While he did not
develop surface antibodies, the hallmark of clearing the infection
entirely, the risk of liver damage greatly diminishes when HBsAg and HBV
DNA disappear.
"HBsAg clearance by the addition of a short course
of (pegylated interferon) represents an important result with clinical
and pharmaco-economic implications, considering that (antiviral)
therapy in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients is considered a
long-lasting/life-long treatment," they noted.
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25024631
Source: HBV Journal Review: August 1, 2014, Vol 11, no 8
Labels: pegylated interferon, sequential treatment
