Korean J Hepatol.  2000 Sep;6(3):301-310.

Novel Maintenance Therapy with Lamivudine in Patients with Chronic Active Viral Hepatitis B

• Hong SP
• Kwon CI
• Lee JS
• Kim KC
• Hwang SK
• Park PW
• Rim GS
• Kim S

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was conducted to determine the effect of novel long-term maintenance treatment with lamivudine by gradual lengthening of the medication interval in patients with chronic active viral hepatitis B. METHOD: All patients were non-responder, relapsed or intolerable patients to previous interferon therapy. Patients were divided into a drug-interval changing study and a daily continual medication control group. Drug-interval changing protocol with gradual lengthening of the medication interval after conversion to undetectable HBV-DNA in serum and reduction of serum aminotransferase to normal level was monitored monthly.
RESULTS
Before treatment, 15 patients of the drug-interval change group and 11 patients of the daily medication group were similar in laboratory and pathologic findings. Mean follow-up periods were 12.8 moths and 11.4 months respectively. HBeAg seroconversion rate was higher in patients in the daily medication group (86.7% vs. 40.0%, p<0.05). The odds of loss of HBeAg, development of anti-HBe, and suppression of HBV-DNA are about 11 times, 7 times, and 8 times higher in the drug-interval change group compared with the daily medication group, respectively (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION
Drug-interval lengthening method was effective in long-term suppression of viral replication with low cost.

Keyword

Hepatitis/Viral/Chronic viral hepatitis B; Lamivudine; Maintenance therapy

MeSH Terms

Follow-Up Studies
Hepatitis B e Antigens
Hepatitis B*
Hepatitis*
Humans
Interferons
Lamivudine*
Moths
Hepatitis B e Antigens
Interferons
Lamivudine