PEG-IFN a-2b/entecavir does not boost virological response

[chihep]

http://www.healio.com/hepatology/chronic-hepatitis/news/online/%7B2a49e8f0-9dd0-4745-bf36-8e500b0e2e97%7D/peg-ifn-a-2bentecavir-does-not-boost-virological-response

Tangkijvanich P, et al. J Viral Hepat. 2016;doi:10.1111/jvh.12467.

Combining peginterferon alpha-2b with entecavir for patients with chronic hepatitis B virus did not improve virological response or hepatitis B surface antigen clearance compared with monotherapy, according to study results in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis. The combination, however, did lead to greater HBV DNA suppression.

“The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of PEG-IFN monotherapy vs. PEG-IFN combined with [entecavir (ETV)] in Thai patients with [hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)]-negative [chronic hepatitis B (CHB)],” Pisit Tangkijvanich, MD, from the research unit of hepatitis and liver cancer at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, and colleagues wrote.

[Royal36]

I was about to ask to my Dr for such a combo to get rid of the Hbsag better wait to Abx203 then.

[stef2011]

it works only after many years of nucs, usually 5-7 years but in any case the combo lowers hbsag and hbvdna more than nucs only, saying "improve virological response or hepatitis B surface antigen clearance" means nothing, nothing clears hbsag easily even drugs on study, they must only report hbsag and hbvdna levels and compare like other studies did

hbsag clearance is not "even" a target of therapies anymore because cannot be reached, hbsag lowering is the target because by lowering it to much less than 1000iu/ml you ll clear by peg and we know this can be achieved only after many years of nucs or many rounds of peg

[sorte]

"HBsAg clearance or HBsAg decline were observed between groups" - but where are the results of the second one ?