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A Competent Hepatocyte Model Examining Hepatitis B Virus Entry through Sodium Taurocholate Cotransporting Polypeptide as a Therapeutic Target
Published on: May 10, 2022
Combination therapy with a nucleos(t)ide analogue and interferon for chronic hepatitis B: simultaneous or sequential
Masaru Enomoto1, Akihiro Tamori, Shuhei Nishiguchi
1Department of Hepatology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3 Asahimachi, Abeno-ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan, enomoto-m@med.osaka-cu.ac.jp.
Journal of Gastroenterology
|January 23, 2013
Summary
Combining nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) with interferon (IFN) for chronic hepatitis B may improve sustained response and reduce drug resistance. However, the overall benefit of combination therapy over monotherapy remains unclear and requires further evaluation with newer NAs.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) or interferon (IFN).
- NAs offer potent antiviral activity and good tolerance, while IFN provides a finite treatment course and avoids drug resistance.
- Combination therapy with NA and IFN is a theoretically attractive approach due to their different mechanisms of action.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review previous reports on simultaneous or sequential combination therapy with NA and IFN for chronic hepatitis B.
- To evaluate the efficacy and outcomes of combination therapy compared to monotherapy.
Main Methods:
- Review of published studies on NA/IFN combination therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients.
- Comparison of outcomes such as sustained post-treatment response, viral suppression, and drug resistance rates between combination and monotherapy groups.
Main Results:
- Lamivudine/IFN combination therapy showed higher sustained response and lower resistance than lamivudine monotherapy.
- Combination therapy with lamivudine/IFN demonstrated greater on-treatment viral suppression than IFN monotherapy, but no difference in sustained response.
- Concerns regarding drug resistance have diminished with newer, potent NAs.
Conclusions:
- The overall benefit of NA/IFN combination therapy over monotherapy for chronic hepatitis B is not definitively established.
- Further comprehensive evaluation is needed for the efficacy of IFN combined with potent NAs like entecavir or tenofovir.
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