Serum HBV DNA level at week 12 is superior to viral response at week 24 in predicting long-term treatment outcome of telbivudine for chronic hepatitis B patients.

Background: Telbivudine, one of the five nucleos(t)ide antiviral drugs, was reported to be superior to lamivudine in a better biochemical, virological, and histological response for treatment-naive patients in the GLOBE trial. The aim of this study was to determine the antiviral potency, viral resistance, and the signifcance of early response for long-term telbivudine treatment.

Methods: We recruited 161 patients of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on telbivudine between January 2009 and September 2011 in Macau, China.