Treatment of chronic hepatitis B in 2002

Viral hepatitis B is a serious health problem, above all in the world's developing countries. It is estimated that two billion people will be infected with the hepatitis B virus in the course of their lives and between 350 and 400 million people are chronically infected at present. The aims of the treatment of chronic hepatitis B are sustained suppression of viral replication and remission of liver disease. For the treatment of chronic hepatitis B two drugs have been licensed worldwide: alpha-interferon and lamivudine. In chronic hepatitis B therapy there are new developments in antiviral, such as nucleoside analogues--entecavir, emtricitabine, clevudine, beta-L-nucleosides. Studies comparing pegylated interferon with lamivudine and with the combination of lamivudine and pegylated interferon are in progress. Several innovative antiviral approaches have been evaluated in vitro, and in animal models of hepadnavirus infections. These approaches are including antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes, inhibitors blocking virus entry into hepatocytes, and decoy virus or dominant negative mutants.