Emerging anti‐HDV drugs and HBV cure strategies with anti‐HDV activity

Abstract

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a satellite RNA virus that requires the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its replication. HDV/HBV co‐infection is often associated with a faster disease progression of chronic hepatitis in comparison to HBV mono‐infection. Therefore, the development of novel antiviral therapies targeting HDV represents a high priority and an urgent medical need. In this review, we summarize the ongoing efforts to evaluate promising HDV‐specific drugs, such as lonafarnib (LNF), pegylated interferon lambda (PEG‐IFN‐λ) and their use as a combination therapy. Furthermore, we review the most recent developments in the area of anti‐HBV drugs with potential effects against HDV, including therapeutic agents targeting hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) expression, secretion and function. Finally, we consider the important insights that have emerged from the development of these potential antiviral strategies, as well as the intriguing questions that remain to be elucidated in this rapidly changing field.

Point-of-Care Testing for Hepatitis Viruses: A Growing Need

“…Co-infections of HBV and HDV at the same time are often self-limiting, with less than 5% of cases becoming chronic, but they can cause fulminant hepatitis in some cases [7,176]. Superinfections by HDV in people with chronic HBV will lead to chronic HDV infections in 70-90% of cases [7,177]. These superinfections can exacerbate the signs and symptoms of hepatitis and lead to an earlier onset of cirrhosis.…”

Hepatitis Delta: Ready for primetime?

“…However, they also highlight the opportunities of new HBV regimens that aim for HBsAg loss and thus potentially not only functional cure of HBV monoinfection but also HBV/HDV coinfection, for example, by the use of siRNA or antisense oligonucleotides. 46 Another interesting and currently intensively investigated approach in HBV infection are immunmodulating therapies, for example, by using toll-like receptor…”