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Hepatitis B: Working Towards a Cure

  • Liver (B Bacon, Section Editor)
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Abstract

First-line oral therapies for hepatitis B are effective at viral suppression, and treatment can lead to biochemical improvement and histologic regression. Unfortunately, recommended endpoints of treatment such as HBeAg loss and seroconversion may not be durable, with high rates of seroreversion, requiring monitoring, and unfortunately, low rates of  HBsAg loss/seroconversion. Additionally, meeting these endpoints requires years or even indefinite administration, leading to concerns regarding cost, side effects, and high rates of nonadherence. This article will review defined endpoints of therapy and their durability, the risks of long-term therapy, and the evolving new therapies aimed at a viral cure.

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Conflict of Interest

Bianca W. Chang, Aung Kaung, Lori Robbins, and Tram T. Tran declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Bianca W. Chang, Aung Kaung & Lori Robbins

  2. Liver Transplant, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Tram T. Tran

  3. Geffen UCLA, 8900 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA

    Tram T. Tran

Authors
  1. Bianca W. Chang
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  2. Aung Kaung
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  3. Lori Robbins
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  4. Tram T. Tran
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tram T. Tran.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Liver

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Chang, B.W., Kaung, A., Robbins, L. et al. Hepatitis B: Working Towards a Cure. Curr Gastroenterol Rep 17, 35 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-015-0460-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11894-015-0460-2

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