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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
11:34
A Competent Hepatocyte Model Examining Hepatitis B Virus Entry through Sodium Taurocholate Cotransporting Polypeptide as a Therapeutic Target
Published on: May 10, 2022
[New treatment options in chronic hepatitis B]
1Centro di Epatologia, Dipartimento di Malattie Infettive, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo e Università degli Studi di Pavia, Italy.
Le Infezioni in Medicina
|March 28, 2008
Summary
Four antiviral drugs, including lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil, entecavir, and telbivudine, are used for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Telbivudine shows promising efficacy, tolerability, and a good genetic barrier for CHB treatment.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Pharmacology
Context:
- Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) management involves nucleoside/nucleotide analogues.
- Four agents are currently available: lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil, entecavir, and telbivudine.
- Telbivudine, a deoxythymidine analogue, is newly available in Italy.
Purpose:
- To review and compare the efficacy and resistance profiles of available antiviral therapies for CHB.
- To highlight the characteristics of telbivudine as a potential first-line treatment option.
Summary:
- Lamivudine offers good bioavailability and viral load reduction but has a low genetic barrier.
- Adefovir dipivoxil has a better genetic barrier than lamivudine but sub-optimal efficacy at approved doses; it is effective against lamivudine-resistant strains.
- Entecavir demonstrates significant viral replication inhibition and a high genetic barrier in both naive and lamivudine-resistant patients.
- Telbivudine exhibits rapid virologic response, a good genetic barrier, excellent tolerability, and specific activity against HBV, positioning it as a preferred choice.
Impact:
- Provides a comparative overview of CHB antiviral treatments.
- Identifies telbivudine as a promising first-line therapy due to its favorable efficacy, safety, and resistance profile.
- Informs clinical decision-making for CHB management.
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