Treatment

There are 3 widely-used drugs to treat Hepatitis B infection: interferon-alpha, lamivudine, and adefovir dipivoxil. Not every patient needs drug treatment, however. A combination of the three is most effective at managing symptoms, slowing viral replication, and stopping damage to the liver.

Interferon-alpha (Intron A ©) mimics one of the the body’s natural defense mechanisms: interferon. Production of natural interferon is stimulated by viral infections, and is used to defend against further viral infection (not just the specific virus that initially induced the response). Interferon comes in three flavors: alpha, beta, and gamma. Alpha and beta both stop protein synthesis, which helps block viral replication. Intron A is a synthetic alpha interferon. It must be taken by injection, because it would be destroyed by stomach acid if it were taken as a pill. Therapy usually lasts from 6 months to a year. It can be used in adults and children. More information can be found at: http://www.hepatitisinnovations.com/hepinn/treat/introna/index.jsp

Lamivudine (3TC©, Epivir-HBV©, Zeffix©, Heptodin©) stops viral replication by blocking the activity of reverse transcriptase, an enzyme necessary for genome replication. Reverse transcriptase makes a DNA copy of the viral genome from it’s the original RNA (for more information, see insert link to replication on previous years’ webpages). Lamivudine is taken twice a day as a pill for at least 1 year. Like Intron A, it is suitable for use in adults and children. For more information, visit http://www.lamivudine.com/

Adefovir dipivoxil (Hepsera©, Preveon©) is the most-recently approved drug to treat Hepatitis B. It is also a reverse transcriptase inhibitor. Adefovir is an adenine nucleoside analog, meaning it is a synthetically manufactured molecule similar to one of the bases of DNA, adenine. However, it lacks a functional group and therefore stops DNA synthesis when it is incorporated by the viral enzymes into the growing DNA strand. This stops DNA synthesis and viral replication. It is taken in pill form 4 times a day, and has not been approved for pediatric usage yet. For more information, and an animated presentation on the drug’s mechanism of action, visit the manufacturer’s website http://www.gilead.com/wt/sec/adefovir

Sources:

Hepatitis B Foundation: www.hepb.org

Hepsera Manufacturers’ webpage: http://www.gilead.com/wt/sec/adefovir

Hepatitis Innovations: http://www.hepatitisinnovations.com/hepinn/treat/introna/index.html

Gideon Online: www.gideononline.net

Lamivudine.com: www.lamivudine.com