Recombinant interferon alfa-2b following prednisone withdrawal in the treatment of chronic type B hepatitis

Fully automated quantitation of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in human plasma by the COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® TaqMan® System☆, ☆☆

“…The ability to detect HBV DNA in serum has been reported to have prognostic value for the outcome of acute and chronic HBV infections (Krogsgaard et al, 1985;Jardi et al, 1996;Niitsuma et al, 1997;Ranki et al, 1995). A rapid and sustained drop in HBV DNA levels in patients under therapy has been shown to be a predictive factor for a favourable treatment outcome (Hoofnagle, 1990;Perez et al, 1990;Lai et al, 1997;Nagata et al, 1999;Hadziyannis et al, 1999;Marcellin et al, 2003).…”

Current State of Interferon Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B

“…At 6 months after the end of treatment, between 37 and 44% of these patients had a virological response to IFN as determined by loss of HBeAg and reduction of HBV DNA to levels below the lower limit of quantification (LLQ) of hybridization assays (10 6 copies/mL). 4,10,12 At the 6-month posttreatment follow-up, serum ALT levels were normalized in 36 to 47%. 4,10,12 IFN dosage regimens of 5 million units (MU) daily (35 MU/wk) 12 or 10 MU three times a week (30 MU/wk), 4,10 either dose given subcutaneously for 16 weeks, were established in these studies 4,10,12 and are still in use.…”

“…1 This was followed in the middle to late 1980s and early to middle 1990s by a series of clinical trials attempting to clarify the appropriate use of and expected rate of response to IFN therapy. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] There are a number of limitations inherent in these early studies that restricted their clinical usefulness. Most of these clinical trials were small and resulted in outcomes that did not reach statistical significance but only showed *These studies used various assays for HBV DNA, and in some instances the LLQ was not specified.…”

“…Three of these early studies were, nonetheless, pivotal in establishing the efficacy of IFN in chronic hepatitis B and in resolving questions regarding an appropriate duration of therapy and dosage regimens. 4,10,12 All patients enrolled in these three trials were HBeAg-positive and had compensated liver disease. Most were Caucasian.…”

Treatments for Hepatitis B

“…Transient flares of hepatitis frequently occur during treatment, resulting in increases in the ALT level to у2 times the levels noted at baseline. These episodes are more likely to occur among responders (i.e., subjects with response to IFN-a therapy) 8-12 weeks after initiation of therapy [45][46][47]. In general, treatment should be continued unless signs and symptoms of liver failure are observed.…”