BACKGROUND: We previously reported that 48 weeks of combination therapy with pegylated interferon-alpha2b (PEG-IFN-alpha2b) and adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) in patients with chronic hepatitis B led to marked decreases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) (-2.4 log10 copies/ml). Combination therapy was followed by 96 weeks of ADV monotherapy. METHODS: Here, we report on the final outcome after 144 weeks of sequential antiviral treatment. Twenty-four patients were analysed, triplet liver biopsies (taken at baseline, week 48 and week 144) were available from 16 patients. RESULTS: At week 144, 12/15 patients positive for hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBeAg) had lost HBeAg, alanine transaminase (ALT) levels were normal in 23 patients (96%), median serum HBV DNA had decreased by -4.9 log10 copies/ml and was undetectable (
BACKGROUND: We previously reported that 48 weeks of combination therapy with pegylated interferon-alpha2b (PEG-IFN-alpha2b) and adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) in patients with chronic hepatitis B led to marked decreases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) (-2.4 log10 copies/ml). Combination therapy was followed by 96 weeks of ADV monotherapy. METHODS: Here, we report on the final outcome after 144 weeks of sequential antiviral treatment. Twenty-four patients were analysed, triplet liver biopsies (taken at baseline, week 48 and week 144) were available from 16 patients. RESULTS: At week 144, 12/15 patients positive for hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBeAg) had lost HBeAg, alanine transaminase (ALT) levels were normal in 23 patients (96%), median serum HBV DNA had decreased by -4.9 log10 copies/ml and was undetectable (