Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) has demonstrated high antiviral efficacy in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection but experience in nucleoside/nucleotide analogue (NA)-experienced patients is limited. In this retrospective multicenter study we therefore assessed the long-term efficacy of TDF monotherapy in patients with prior failure or resistance to different NA treatments. Criteria for inclusion were HBV DNA levels >4.0 log 10 copies/mL at the start and a minimum period of TDF therapy for at least 6 months. In all, 131 patients (mean age 42 ؎ 12 years, 95 male, 65% hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg]-positive) were eligible. Pretreatment consisted of either monotherapy with lamivudine (LAM; n ‫؍‬ 18), adefovir (ADV; n ‫؍‬ 8), and sequential LAM-ADV therapy (n ‫؍‬ 73), or add-on combination therapy with both drugs (n ‫؍‬ 29). Three patients had failed entecavir therapy. Resistance analysis in 113 of the 131 patients revealed genotypic LAM and ADV resistance in 62% and 19% of patients, respectively. The mean HBV DNA level at TDF baseline was 7.6 ؎ 1.5 log 10 copies/mL. The overall cumulative proportion of patients achieving HBV DNA levels <400 copies/mL was 79% after a mean treatment duration of 23 months (range, 6-60). Although LAM resistance did not influence the antiviral efficacy of TDF, the presence of ADV resistance impaired TDF efficacy (100% versus 52% probability of HBV DNA <400 copies/mL, respectively). However, virologic breakthrough was not observed in any of the patients during the entire observation period. Loss of HBeAg occurred in 24% of patients and HBsAg loss occurred in 3%. No significant adverse events were noticed during TDF monotherapy. Conclusion: TDF monotherapy induced a potent and long-lasting antiviral response in NA-experienced patients with previous treatment failure. Our data may have implications for current add-on strategies. (HEPATOLOGY 2010;51: 73-80.)A major limitation of nucleoside and nucleotide analogues (NA) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapy is the selection of HBV resistance variants, which can lead to a rebound in HBV replication and exacerbation of HBV-related disease. HBV polymerase gene variants that mediate HBV resistance are known to confer cross-resistance to other NAs. Today, increasing numbers of patients have experienced NA treatment failure, mostly to lamivudine (LAM) or adefovir dipivoxil (ADV), which poses a growing problem for antiviral treatment. Add-on combination therapy with ADV plus LAM was shown to be effective in these patients but only when initiated during the early stages of resistance development. 1 Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) was licensed in 2008 for the treatment of HBV infections in Europe and the Abbreviations: ADV, adefovir dipivoxil; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; HBeAg, hepatitis B e antigen; HBsAg, hepatitis B surface antigen; HBV, hepatitis B virus; human immunodeficiency virus; LAM, lamivudine; NA, nucleoside/nucleotide analogue; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; TDF, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. ...

Incomplete virological response to adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) has been observed in patients with lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and may be associated with developing resistance and disease progression. We therefore investigated whether the efficacy of viral suppression could be improved by replacing ADV with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Twenty patients with chronic HBV infection (18 HBeAg؉), viral breakthrough during lamivudine therapy, and persistent viral replication (>10 4 copies/mL) after 15 months of ADV monotherapy (range 4-28 months) were treated with TDF 300 mg daily and were retrospectively analyzed. A screening for nucleoside/nucleotide analogue resistance mutations within the HBV polymerase gene was performed in all patients by direct sequencing. Within a median of 3.5 months, application of TDF led to undetectable HBV DNA in 19 of 20 patients, as demonstrated by suppression of HBV DNA below the detection limit of 400 copies/mL. Initially elevated ALT levels had normalized in 10 of 14 patients by the end of follow-up (median 12 months, range 3-24 months). Four patients lost HBeAg, after 3, 4, 5, and 16 months, and one patient seroconverted to anti-HBs after 16 months of TDF therapy. Lamivudine-associated mutations (rtV173L, rtL180M, rtM204V/I) could be detected in 6 patients at baseline of TDF, but this obviously did not influence the response. ADV-resistant mutations were not detected. No side effects were reported. In conclusion, these preliminary observations strongly suggest that TDF might be a highly effective rescue drug for HBV-infected patients with altered responsiveness to treatment with lamivudine and ADV. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;44:318-325.) See Editorial on Page 309 C omplete and sustained suppression of viral replication remains the most important goal in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. 1,2 In this respect, the introduction of the nucleoside analogue lamivudine and the nucleotide analogue adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) largely improved the outcome in these patients, also by preventing hepatitic decompensation or the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. [3][4][5] These compounds also have a place when interferon-alpha based therapy is contraindicated, as in patients with acute liver failure, decompensated cirrhosis, or extrahepatic manifestations.However, a major disadvantage of nucleoside/nucleotide analogues is that resistant hepatitis B virus mutants develop during long-term treatment, limiting the efficacy of these analogues in suppressing viral replication. As demonstrated in recent studies, approximately 70% of patients receiving lamivudine therapy for more than 4 years suffer the emergence of lamivudine-resistant HBV Abbreviations: ADV, adefovir dipivoxil; HBV, hepatitis B virus; TDF, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate; HBeAg, hepatitis B virus e antigen. From the

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Background and Aims:Azathioprine [AZA] is recommended for maintenance of steroid-free remission in inflammatory bowel disease IBD. The aim of this study has been to establish the incidence and severity of AZA-induced pancreatitis, an idiosyncratic and major side effect, and to identify specific risk factors.Methods:We studied 510 IBD patients [338 Crohn’s disease, 157 ulcerative colitis, 15 indeterminate colitis] with initiation of AZA treatment in a prospective multicentre registry study. Acute pancreatitis was diagnosed in accordance with international guidelines.Results:AZA was continued by 324 [63.5%] and stopped by 186 [36.5%] patients. The most common cause of discontinuation was nausea [12.2%]. AZA-induced pancreatitis occurred in 37 patients [7.3%]. Of these: 43% were hospitalised with a median inpatient time period of 5 days; 10% had peripancreatic fluid collections; 24% had vomiting; and 14% had fever. No patient had to undergo nonsurgical or surgical interventions. Smoking was the strongest risk factor for AZA-induced acute pancreatitis [p < 0.0002] in univariate and multivariate analyses.Conclusions:AZA-induced acute pancreatitis is a common adverse event in IBD patients, but in this study had a mild course in all patients. Smoking is the most important risk factor.

The registry constitutes a large complemental database for the patient population in Germany. About one third of the IBD patients were not in clinical remission (CDAI ≥150/CAI >4) (CD: 45%; UC: 27%), although high rates of immunosuppressive drugs (CD: 47%; UC 26%) were administered. This study shows a large burden of active disease associated with an unexpectedly high (co)morbidity and high psychosocial impairments, indicating a reduced health state in IBD patients.