It is estimated that around 257 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hepatitis B virus infection. This infection can lead to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer over the years if left untreated. Effective antiviral drugs exist to prevent the damage caused by this virus in the liver. Antiviral therapies such as nucleotide analogues (entecavir, tenofovir) effectively suppress viral DNA, but reactivation occurs when treatment is discontinued. In addition, approximately 15% to 40% of hepatitis B patients treated with nucleotide analogues fail to completely inhibit the virus, leaving DNA in the blood. On the other hand, pegylated interferon alpha has an efficacy of 25% but with notable side effects. This has led to research into the use of new drugs in the treatment of hepatitis B.
Analysis of the study carried out for the treatment
In this regard, a study has been published in the Lancet journal using a new drug (GST-HG141), an inhibitor of hepatitis B, in patients who did not fully respond to treatment with nucleotide analogues. The study included 90 patients with hepatitis B, divided into three groups of 30, and for six months they were administered GST-HG141 at different doses: the first group (group I) received a low dose (50 mg), the second (group II) a high dose (100 mg), and the third (group III) placebo, with all three groups continuing treatment with nucleotide analogues.
Of all the patients included in the study, 80 completed treatment and follow-up (group I = 25, group II = 27, and group III = 28). The tolerance of this new drug was good. The response, considered as the disappearance of viral DNA, was as follows: group I = 84%, group II = 81%, and group III = 32%. In summary, the study confirms that this drug (GST-HG141) appears effective against hepatitis B virus in patients with a partial response to current treatments.
The conclusion we can reach is that this drug may be useful in the treatment of hepatitis B virus infection. However, in the opinion of Dr. Carreño and his team, further studies are needed, extending the duration of treatment (not just to six months) and not focusing the studies on the Chinese population.
