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Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Loss with Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Plus Peginterferon Alfa-2a: Week 120 Analysis
Sang Hoon Ahn1, Patrick Marcellin2, Xiaoli Ma3
1Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Brain Korea 21 Plus Project for Medical Science, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background And Aims:
Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss is the ideal clinical endpoint but is achieved rarely during oral antiviral treatment. A current unmet need in CHB management is achievement of HBsAg loss with a finite course of oral antiviral therapy, thereby allowing discontinuation of treatment. Significantly higher rates of HBsAg loss at 72 weeks post-treatment have been demonstrated when tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) was combined with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) for 48 weeks compared with either monotherapy. This analysis provides follow-up data at week 120.
Methods:
In an open-label, active-controlled study, 740 patients with chronic hepatitis B were randomly assigned to receive TDF plus PEG-IFN for 48 weeks (group A), TDF plus PEG-IFN for 16 weeks followed by TDF for 32 weeks (group B), TDF for 120 weeks (group C), or PEG-IFN for 48 weeks (group D). Efficacy and safety at week 120 were assessed.
Results:
Rates of HBsAg loss at week 120 were significantly higher in group A (10.4%) than in group B (3.5%), group C (0%), and group D (3.5%). Rates of HBsAg loss and HBsAg seroconversion in group A were significantly higher than rates in group C (P < 0.001 for both) or group D (HBsAg loss: P = 0.002; HBsAg seroconversion: P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
The results of this analysis confirm the results from earlier time points which demonstrate the increased rate of HBsAg loss in patients treated with a finite course of PEG-IFN plus TDF compared with the rates in patients receiving either monotherapy.
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