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Adefovir Effective for Resistant Hepatitis B
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Reuters Health
Jan 29, 2004
Will Boggs, MD
When chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) becomes resistant tothe standard lamivudine (Epivir) treatment, the antiviraladefovir (Preveon), alone or in combination with ongoinglamivudine therapy, appears to be effective, according to a studyin the medical journal Gastroenterology. The rate of lamivudineresistance can reach 69 percent after five years of treatment,Dr. Marion G. Peters and colleagues from the University ofCalifornia-San Francisco explained in their report. Adefovir hasbeen shown in lab experiments to suppress lamivudine-resistantHBV.
The researchers assessed the safety and effectiveness ofadefovir in 59 lamivudine-resistant patients. They found thatlevels of the virus in blood specimens declined significantly inpatients given adefovir alone or in combination with lamivudine,but not in patients taking lamivudine alone.
Sixteen percent of patients taking adefovir alone and 11percent of patients taking adefovir and lamivudine cleared thevirus within 48 weeks. None on lamivudine alone did so.
Peters said there appears to be no reason to continuelamivudine after beginning adefovir therapy in most cases.However, combination therapy should be continued in patients withcirrhosis. The article, "Adefovir Dipivoxil Alone or inCombination with Lamivudine in Patients with Lamivudine-ResistantChronic Hepatitis B," appeared in Gastroenterology(2004;126(1):91-101).
FULL TEXT OF ARTICLE
Adefovir dipivoxil alone or in combination with lamivudine in patients withlamivudine-resistant chronic hepatitis B
http://www.natap.org/2004/jan/011504_06.htm
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