Treatment of hepatitis B virus infection

Abstract

In treating chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the primary goal of therapy is to achieve sustained suppression of HBV replication, which ultimately leads to improvement in inflammation, reduces progression to cirrhosis and/or liver failure, reverses fibrosis, and may reduce (but not eliminate) the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently available HBV drugs include interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogues, with entecavir, tenofovir, and pegylated interferon alfa-2a considered the preferred first-line agents in both hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg) (+) and HBeAg (-) chronic HBV infection. This article offers a summation of the clinical efficacy for each of the agents used, the recommended treatment duration and desired therapeutic end points, as well as the current standard of care for pregnant and chemotherapy-treated patients with chronic HBV infection.