Efficacy and safety of entecavir versus lamivudine over 5 years of treatment: A randomized controlled trial in Korean patients with hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B

• Published in: Clinical and molecular hepatology Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 331 - 339
• Main Authors: Lee, Kwan Sik, Kweon, Young-Oh, Um, Soon-Ho, Kim, Byung-Ho, Lim, Young Suk, Paik, Seung Woon, Heo, Jeong, Lee, Heon-Ju, Kim, Dong Joon, Kim, Tae Hun, Lee, Young-Sok, Byun, Kwan Soo, Kim, Daeghon, Lee, Myung Seok, Yu, Kyungha, Suh, Dong Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Association for the Study of the Liver 01.12.2017; The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver; 대한간학회
• Subjects: Antigens; Antiretroviral drugs; Antiviral drugs; Disease; Entecavir; Failure analysis; Hepatitis B; Infections; Lamivudine; Liver cancer; Liver cirrhosis; Liver transplants; Long-term effects; Mutation; Original; Patients; 내과학; United States > US; Lamivudine; Entecavir; Hepatitis B; Long-term effects
• ISSN: 2287-2728; 2287-285X; 2287-285X
• DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2016.0040

Long-term data on antiviral therapy in Korean patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are limited. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of entecavir (ETV) and lamivudine (LAM) over 240 weeks. Treatment-naive patients with HBeAg-negative CHB were randomized to receive ETV 0.5 mg/day or LAM 100 mg/day during the 96 week double-blind phase, followed by open-label treatment through week 240. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with virologic response (VR; hepatitis B virus [HBV] DNA<300 copies/mL) at week 24. Secondary objectives included alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization and emergence of ETV resistance (week 96), VR and log reduction in HBV DNA levels (week 240), and safety evaluation. In total, 120 patients (>16 years old) were included (ETV, n=56; LAM, n=64). Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. A significantly higher proportion of ETV-treated patients achieved VR compared to LAM at week 24 (92.9% vs. 67.2%, P=0.0006), week 96 (94.6% vs. 48.4%, P<0.0001), and week 240 (95.0% vs. 47.6%, P<0.0001). At week 96, ALT normalization was observed in 87.5% and 51.6% of ETV and LAM patients, respectively (P<0.0001). Virologic breakthrough occurred in one patient (1.8%) receiving ETV and 26 patients (42.6%) receiving LAM (P<0.0001) up to week 96. Emergence of resistance to ETV was not detected. The incidence of serious adverse events was low and unrelated to the study medications. Long-term ETV treatment was superior to LAM, with a significantly higher proportion of patients achieving VR. Both treatments were well tolerated.