On-Treatment Decline in Serum HBsAg Levels Predicts Sustained Immune Control 1 Year

On-Treatment Decline in Serum HBsAg Levels Predicts Sustained Immune Control 1 Year Post-Treatment and Subsequent HBsAg Clearance in HBeAg-Negative Hepatitis B Virus-Infected Patients Treated with Peginterferon Alfa-2a [40KD] (PEGASYS) - see attached full poster report



Reported by Jules Levin

Presented at the 20th Conference of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL), 25–28 March 2010, Beijing, China

Marcellin P,1 Piratvisuth T,2 Brunetto M,3 Bonino F,4 Farci P,5 Yurdaydin C,6 Gurel S,7 Kapprell H-P,8 Messinger D,9 Popescu M10. 1Service d’Hepatologie and Centre de Recherches Biologiques Beaujon (Inserm CRB3), University of Paris, Clichy, France; 2NKC Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Songklanagarind Hospital, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand; 3UO Gastroenterologia ed Epatologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy; 4Scientific Direction, Foundation IRCCS Policlinico of Milan and University of Pisa, Italy; 5Universita di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy; 6University of Ankara, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey; 7Department of Gastroenterology, Uludag University, Turkey; 8Abbott GmbH & Co, Wiesbaden, Germany; 9IST GmbH, Mannheim, Germany; 10F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland



Summary

Sustained immune control 1 year post-treatment was achieved by 31% of HBeAg-negative patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a. These patients achieved high rates of HBsAg clearance 5 years post-treatment (28% versus 12% of the overall study population)

An on-treatment decline in HBsAg ≥10% from baseline was significantly associated with sustained immune control at 1 year post-treatment and HBsAg clearance 5 years post-treatment

Highest rates of HBsAg clearance (40–45%) were achieved by patients with an HBsAg decline ≥10% during treatment and sustained immune control 1 year post-treatment



Conclusion

Decline in HBsAg during a finite course of peginterferon alfa-2a therapy in patients with HBeAg-negative CHB was associated with high rates of sustained immune control and HBsAg clearance up to 5 years post-treatment. Rates of HBsAg clearance 5 years post-treatment were highest in patients with at least a 10% decline in HBsAg during treatment and sustained immune control post-treatment. HBsAg quantification can be used to better identify early during therapy the patients who are most likely to achieve long-term sustained immune control and clearance of HBsAg – the closest outcome to clinical cure of CHB – thereby avoiding potentially life-long therapy and long-term costs