Current status of drug therapy for chronic hepatitis B

Abstract

In this editorial, we comment on the article by Meng et al. Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a significant global health problem, particularly in developing countries. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most important risk factors for cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Prevention and treatment of HBV are key measures to reduce complications. At present, drug therapy can effectively control virus replication and slow disease progression, but completely eliminating the virus remains a challenge. Anti-HBV treatment is a long-term process, and there are many kinds of antiviral drugs with different mechanisms of action, it is essential to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these drugs to reduce side effects and improve patients’ compliance. We will summarize the current status of CHB drug treatment, hoping to provide a reference for the selection of clinical antiviral drugs.

Keywords: Chronic hepatitis B; Hepatitis B virus; Anti virus; Drug treatment; Therapy

Core Tip: Chronic hepatitis B poses a serious threat to human health, and drug treatment is the most important method. The purpose of treatment is to sustainably inhibit virus replication and even achieve clinical cure, prevent or slow down disease progression, and reduce the incidence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The widely used drugs at present are interferon and nucleoside/nucleotide analogue. On the premise of ensuring the efficacy, increasing drug safety and reducing side effects is an important research direction of anti-hepatitis B virus treatment.