Korean J Med.  2009 Dec;77(6):713-715.

Lamivudine and adefovir combination therapy in lamivudine-resistant HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients

• Lee HC

Abstract

The introduction of lamivudine (LAM) has opened a new era for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, the major drawback of LAM, which currently limits its use as first-line therapy, is the high rate of occurrence of drug resistance. In patients with LAM-resistant CHB, recent long-term findings have indicated that adding adefovir (ADV) to ongoing LAM therapy was more beneficial than switching to ADV alone, because the former showed a diminished rate of resistance to ADV with a well-tolerated safety profile. Above all, the most important strategy for CHB treatment must be to use a potent first-line antiviral with high genetic barriers to resistance in order to prevent the development of multidrug resistance.

Keyword

Chronic hepatitis B; Drug resistance; Lamivudine; Adefovir

MeSH Terms

Adenine
Drug Resistance
Drug Resistance, Multiple
Hepatitis B, Chronic
Hepatitis, Chronic
Humans
Lamivudine
Lipopolysaccharides
Organophosphonates
Adenine
Lamivudine
Lipopolysaccharides
Organophosphonates