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EASL 2015: Using Interferon with Hepatitis B Antivirals Raises Likelihood of HBsAg Loss

Treating chronic hepatitis B with tenofovir plus pegylated interferon for 48 weeks resulted in a higher rate of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance than either drug taken alone, though the response rate was still just 9%, according to a study presented at the recent European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress in Vienna. Other researchers reported that adding 48 weeks of interferon to nucleoside/nucleotide therapy increased the rate of HBsAg loss to about the same level, and switching to interferon may be effective for selected patients.

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EASL 2015: Stopping Tenofovir is Safe for Hepatitis B Patients on Long-term Therapy

Most hepatitis B patients who stopped taking tenofovir (Viread) after more than 3 years on treatment had good outcomes, according to a presentation at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress last month in Vienna. Although all patients who stopped tenofovir saw their HBV viral load rise, most maintained normal ALT levels and only a few needed to restart therapy.

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EASL 2015: Expanded Vaccination and Treatment Could Help Eliminate Hepatitis B Worldwide

While universal infant hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination has already led to major advances in reducing new infections in some settings, further expansion of prevention and treatment are needed to significantly reduce HBV transmission and liver disease mortality, according to an analysis presented at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress this week in Vienna.

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EASL 2015: Nucleic Acid Polymer REP 2139-Ca Shows Promise Against Hepatitis B and Delta Viruses

The nucleic acid-based polymer REP 2139-Ca lowered hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels and significantly reduced hepatitis B and hepatitis delta viral loads when combined with immunotherapy, according to presentations at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 50th International Liver Congress last month in Vienna.

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Global Hepatitis B Epidemic Treatable at Cost of Just $36 per Patient per Year

Large-scale production of generic entecavir (Baraclude) could cut the cost of first-line hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapy to just $36 per patient per year, according to a study published in the online edition of the Journal of Virus Eradication. The authors believe that this price could facilitate low-cost global therapy for hepatitis B. The cost of scaled-up generic production of entecavir was shown to be significantly cheaper than that associated with alternative therapies, including tenofovir (Viread).

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