— Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate
Can patients who lose the hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) and develop the "e" antibody stop taking the daily antiviral pill that stops HBV from replicating and keeps viral loads low?
A new study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, suggests that only younger patients whose HBsAg levels are under 2,000 international units per milliliter (IU/mL) may be able to stop their daily antiviral regimen.
No patient wants to take antivirals all his or her life, and researchers are working hard to identify when a patient can stop antivirals without risking a relapse of HBV infection.
In this study, Taiwanese researchers followed 157 patients who stopped taking antivirals 12 months or more after they seroconverted (lost HBeAg and developed "e" antibodies.) These patients, treated with lamivudine (78), entecavir (68) and telbivudine (Tyzeka) (11), were then followed for five years after they stopped antiviral treatment.
After five years, 57.1% had relapsed and tested positive for HBeAg again.
Researchers found that patients who were younger than age 40 and had HBsAg levels below 2,000 IU/mL when they stopped taking antivirals had lower relapse rates.
In this study, there appeared to be no advantage gained by taking antivirals longer than 12 months to "consolidate" the seroconversion. Additionally, all three antivirals performed equally well, with no advantage gained by taking one antiviral over another.
Labels: e antibodies, HBeAg seroclearance
