Is increasing the dose of Entecavir effective in partial virological responders?

Abstract

Objective

To analyze the effect of increasing Entecavir (ETV) dosage in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who partially responded to ETV after 1 year.

Methods

Twenty-three hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and 36 HBeAg-negative patients with CHB were treated with ETV 0.5 mg daily. After 1 year of the treatment, those with detectable hepatitis B virus (HBV-DNA) were randomized to either ETV 0.5 mg or 1 mg daily. The resistance to ETV was excluded. Both groups received ETV for 3 years. The groups were compared in aspects of undetectable DNA.

Results

Group 1 was given 0.5 mg ETV and included 32 patients (20 HBeAg-negative and 12 HBeAg-positive). Group 2 was given 1 mg ETV and consisted of 27 patients (16 HBeAg-negative and eleven HBeAg-positive). Group 2 had more effective suppression of HBV-DNA while both groups had comparable rates of HBeAg loss (58% and 63% for group 1 and group 2, respectively) and alanine transaminase (ALT) normalization at the end of 4 years.

Conclusion

Increasing ETV dose from 0.5 mg to 1 mg after 1 year of ETV treatment may provide an effective suppression of viral replication.

Keywords:

• chronic hepatitis B
• treatment
• entecavir
• treatment
• patient monitoring

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.