[Therapy of chronic hepatitis B and C]

10% of patients infected with the hepatitis B virus develop a chronic hepatitis. The only approved therapy is interferon-alpha, which leads in 30-40% to a HbeAg/anti-Hbe Seroconversion. In contrast, the infection with the hepatitis C virus leads to a chronic hepatitis in over 80%. Here again interferon-alpha is the only approved drug to treat these patients. A sustained normalisation of transaminases and a sustained virological response can be achieved in 20 to 40% at most. In view of these unsatisfactory treatment results, new treatment options are currently being evaluated for both infections. Treatment with nucleoside analogues are being tested in patients with chronic hepatitis B and for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C a combination treatment seems most promising.