Long-Term Outcome of Sequential Therapy with Lamivudine Followed by Interferon-β in Nucleoside-Naive, Hepatitis B e-Antigen-Positive Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Genotype C Infection.

It is unclear whether the combination of a nucleos(t)ide analog and interferon (IFN) is superior to monotherapy for treating chronic hepatitis B. In this study, we report the long-term outcomes of sequential therapy using lamivudine followed by IFN-β. This study included 24 hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C infection who were treated with lamivudine alone for 16-32 weeks, then with both IFN-β and lamivudine for 4 weeks, and finally with IFN-β alone for 20 weeks.

Optimal duration of additional therapy after biochemical and virological responses to lamivudine in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B: a randomized trial.

Aim: The endpoint of treatment with nucleoside analogs remains unclear for patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B. We report the results of a randomized trial to determine the optimal duration of additional therapy after response to lamivudine in HBeAg-negative patients.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B who exhibited biochemical and virological responses to lamivudine were enrolled.

Mutational patterns of hepatitis B virus genome and clinical outcomes after emergence of drug-resistant variants during lamivudine therapy: analyses of the polymerase gene and full-length sequences.

It remains unclear whether mutational patterns of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome are associated with the development of severe hepatitis after the emergence of tyrosine-methionine-aspartate-aspartate (YMDD) variants during lamivudine treatment. Thirty patients with chronic hepatitis B who had YMDD variants during lamivudine therapy and were followed up subsequently while receiving lamivudine alone for at least 6 months were examined retrospectively. The lamivudine resistant mutations in the HBV polymerase gene were detected by a line probe assay, and the full-length sequences of HBV DNA were determined in some patients.

Lamivudine and IFN-beta sequential therapy in HBe antigen-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B virus genotype C infection.

Sequential treatment with lamivudine and interferon (IFN) has induced sustained biochemical and virologic responses in the majority of patients with chronic hepatitis B in France. However, the efficacy of sequential treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C infection has not been evaluated. Twenty-four HBe antigen-positive patients were treated with 100 mg lamivudine alone for 16-32 weeks, then with both 6 MU IFN-beta and lamivudine for 4 weeks, and lastly with IFN-beta alone for 20 weeks.