Early serum HBsAg drop: A strong predictor of sustained virological response to pegylated interferon alfa-2a in HBeAg-negative patients

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http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121527443/abstract?CRETRY=1 & SRETRY=0

Hepatology

Published Online: 19 Nov 2008

Viral Hepatitis

Early serum HBsAg drop: A strong predictor of sustained virological response to

pegylated interferon alfa-2a in HBeAg-negative patients

Rami Moucari 1 5 6, Mackiewicz 2, Olivier Lada 1 5 6, Marie-Pierre

Ripault 1 5 6, Corinne Castelnau 1 5 6, ot-Peignoux 1 5 6, Agnes

Dauvergne 3, Tarik Asselah 1 5 6, Nathalie Boyer 1 5 6, Pierre Bedossa 4,

Dominique Valla 1 5 6, Michel Vidaud 3, Marie-Hélène Nicolas-Chanoine 2,

Marcellin 1 5 6 *

1Service d'Hépatologie, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France

2Service de Microbiologie, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France

3Service de Biochimie, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France

4Service d'Anatomie-Pathologique, Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France

5INSERM U773-CRB3, Paris, France

6Université Denis Diderot-Paris 7, Paris, France

email: Marcellin (patrick.marcellin@...)

*Correspondence to Marcellin, Service d'Hépatologie, Hôpital Beaujon,

100 Boulevard du Général Leclerc, 92110 Clichy, France

Potential conflict of interest: Nothing to report.

fax: (33)-1-47-30-94-40.

Abstract

Pegylated interferon alfa-2a (PEG-IFN) may induce sustained virological response

(SVR) in 20% of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB)

patients. In addition, loss of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is achieved

with a 10% yearly rate after treatment cessation in sustained responders. The

aim of this study was to assess on-treatment serum HBsAg kinetics to predict SVR

in HBeAg-negative patients treated with PEG-IFN. Forty-eight consecutive

patients were treated with PEG-IFN (180 g/week) for 48 weeks. Serum hepatitis B

virus (HBV) DNA (COBAS TaqMan) and HBsAg (Abbott Architect HBsAg QT assay) were

assessed at baseline, during treatment (weeks 12, 24, and 48), and during

follow-up (weeks 72 and 96). SVR was defined as undetectable serum HBV DNA (