Combination Oral Antivirals Are Now Unnecessary for Chronic HBV Infection

With the availability of potent antiviral agents (e.g., entecavir, tenofovir), the majority of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients will achieve successful viral suppression. But is this also true for patients with high viral load (HVL)? Or do they require an additional anti-HBV medication to achieve suppression and prevent the development of resistance?

To answer this question, researchers analyzed virologic response (HBV DNA <400 copies/mL) in patients with and without HVL (baseline viral load ≥9 log₁₀ copies/mL) who had been followed for 240 weeks as part of two previous registration trials comparing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and adefovir for treating HBV infection. The trials included both hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-pos…